


The Descendent of Morgan le Fay

by TheLuckyFateReviewer



Series: The Legend of Artoria: Réssucité [1]
Category: Fate/EXTRA, Fate/Grand Order, Fate/stay night & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/F, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-06
Updated: 2019-10-16
Packaged: 2020-02-27 02:04:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 75
Words: 105,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18729508
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheLuckyFateReviewer/pseuds/TheLuckyFateReviewer
Summary: All decisions lead to somewhere.Decisions made for a little girl will lead that girl down a path of suffering and loss.The first part of a 5 Part series.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Credit to Bloodriver for helping me come up with this story and details. Thanks for the help.
> 
> Not my first fanfiction but the first one I've written on this site. Any feedback or ideas are welcomed.

It was a beautiful night, and the sky was clear with a full moon. She was sitting in her daughter's bed with her as she read her a story from one of the Arthur Legends their family has kept. Her daughter, Hakuno Kishinami, the sole remaining descendant of Morgan le Fay.

She, herself, was a descendant as well but she knew she wasn't long for this world. She and her late husband had both sacrificed most of their life force when they implanted her ancestor's magic circuits into Hakuno, to strengthen her magic circuits. Their life force was a precaution measure to make sure the Old Magic didn't damage Hakuno's brain nerves whenever she used magic.

They had hoped that time would never happen. They both wanted Hakuno to live a normal life. Aware of magic, but never having to use it. It's why her mom, Hakuno's grandmother, had moved here with her when she was Hakuno's age. She might not have been able to avoid magic, but she had done everything to ensure Hakuno might be able to do so.

Her worry was disrupted as her daughter looked up from the book and look at her curious.

"Is something wrong mama?" 

She smiled at her precious flower. Hakuno was doing her best to try and stay awake. She set the book to the side and hugged her flower.

"No, everything is fine Hakuno. Are you ready for bed?"

Hakuno nodded as she got out of her arms allowing her to get up. Once she was Hakuno laid back down as she put the covers over her daughter and kissed her forehead. 

The moments she had turned off the night light she could see Hakuno beginning to fall asleep. She couldn't help but smile.

Her precious flower. So innocent and sweet. If only she would be able to watch Hakuno grow up. 

She gave a quiet sigh as she began to head for the door, carrying the book with her, opening it before she turned back and gave one last look at her daughter.

Soon, Hakuno will be alone. She'll have people to watch over her and keep her safe, but they won't love her as she and her husband did. 

As she closed the door, she prayed to whatever god would listen to her and made a straightforward request.

"Please, keep her safe."

Hakuno waked up with those final words still echoing in the back of her mind. She knew it had been just a dream, but it always felt so real to her. One of the final nights she and her mother had spent together before she passed away. That had been almost ten years ago.

She grew up under the watch of some caretakers her parents had known and been good friends to the family. They managed Hakuno's finances, what little there were, as her parents had made sure everything had been taken care of before they passed away. Aside from a few monthly bills, they didn't have to worry about much as her parents left more than enough for them to not worry about money. She didn't know where it came from nor could she ask her parents herself.

She spent most of her childhood at home, being taught by tutors. The reason was that a surgery she had to undergo when she was little had made her more fragile and it wouldn't be till the age of 15 or 16 she would be at full strength. She didn't remember any surgery, nor did she feel fragile, but she went along with it as she didn't know what else to do. Her caretakers didn't seem to be lying, but she felt like they weren't telling her everything either. As she looked over at a picture of herself and her parents she sighed and began to get up.

She looked outside only to see the darkness of night still visible. It was still early in the morning. She could go back to sleep, but, after that dream, she didn't want to end up dreaming of another moment with her mom that she will never be able to get back. Plus, she had something she could do to kill time until the sun rose.

She got up and heading to the living room where a few dusty boxes sat on a table. She had gotten them out of the attic the previous night as she was curious to what was inside them. She never opened them as she didn't know if her parents wanted her to but, now nearing 16, she felt it would be ok to look through them now. If it were something dangerous that her parents didn't want her to see, they would have just gotten rid of it. She grabbed a box and sat down as she opened it and began to look through it.

This one had bee filled with some old medieval relics. She made careful not to break them as she looked through to find anything of note. At the bottom of the box was what she could only guess a fragment of a helmet. It had rusted over the years, but she could tell it was part of a helmet that seems to been design to resemble the horns of a dragon as the fragment itself had the horn still attached. The tip had been broken off at some point, but she could even tell it was supposed to have been a horn of a dragon.

What surprised her the most was when she reached to touch it, her magic began to respond to it for some reason. She knew her family had ties to King Arthur in some way, why else would she tell her stories from them, but she never knew how. She decided to leave the fragment alone as she decided to move onto one of the other boxes. The second box had been just a collection of old parchments and notes. All of them were too old for her to understand what had been written on them entirely, so she put the box to the side as she moved to the third box.

The third box was filled with books and tomes. On top of the stacks stood a single book with the title _Kishinami Ancestors_. It seems to be a book that had details about her family's ancestors. She'd have to take a look at it later. Maybe she could figure out who her mom's ancestor was. As she looked through the box and separated regular books from spell books, she ended at the bottom with one small book with a lock on it. She picked it up and looked at it. 

The lock didn't seem to have rust over the years nor did it have a place to use a key on it. She looked on the back to see if there was some way to get the lock to remove, but she found nothing. She stared at the book's lock as she moved her finger to it and, as her finger touched it, she felt her magic circuits along her finger sharply activate as the lock glowed before making a clicking noise and releasing the strap of leather from the lock. 

"A lock that only activates to a certain magic circuit? That's pretty smart." 

Whoever her ancestor was, she had been smart. She looked through the book or, as she would discover, a diary. She skimmed through, trying to find the name of the one writing only to be able to find it. She did, however, see several names that she remembered reading and hearing when she was little. Mordred, Lancelot, Gawain, Bedivere, Galahad. She knew they were knights from the Arthur Legends. She didn't read the entire diary but, from what she did read, the person who wrote it seemed close or even related to the knights. She put the diary down as she stared at the book that had laid on top of the rest. She was too curious not to know who her ancestor was. 

As she moved for the book, however, her vision began to become hazy. She knew what was about to happen. She looked up and standing on the other side of the room stood a woman. She was used to her making sudden appearances. She had begun seeing her soon after her mother's death. She first thought she was a ghost of some kind, but she never did anything. Over the past almost decade, she had made an appearance before Hakuno when she was alone, never doing or saying anything, before vanishing as quickly as it had arrived and, as she has done before, her appearance this moment was no different. As soon as she had appeared, she was gone as her vision returned to normal.

She didn't know who she was or what she wanted. She tried asking when she was younger but got no reply. So, eventually, she just got used to seeing her. The only thing she could think of was that she had some connection to her family. She looked back at her family's book. She could look at it now, but she knew the sun would be up soon and figured she could read it later. She put the books she wouldn't need back in the box, keeping the diary, family tree book, and the spell books out for her to look later then got off the couch and went to start herself a shower as she began to think ahead.

Hakuno knew the end of summer was coming up soon and, this year, she'll get to attend a year of high school as her final year. She didn't know how she was ahead education-wise, for her age, but she didn't complain. She was just happy to finally be able to go out and interact with people around her age for once without people worrying about her. Maybe, if she made some friends, this feeling of loneliness she felt since her mother died would finally go away. She stepped into the shower as her mind looked towards the future for the time being. 


	2. Chapter 2

Hakuno was making her way to her new high school. To say she felt out of place, walking amongst other students, was an understatement. She felt like she didn't belong amongst these people. None of them gave her a weird look, but she felt like she was different when she saw a group of students talking as they made their way to school. Maybe this was just first-day anxiety and, within time, she'll get used to it. She still couldn't help but feel weird as she enters the school grounds.

Classes felt the same as they did from when she was home, so it wasn't too hard to get used to it. Soon enough, the lunch bell rang as she sat alone at a table watching other groups of student talk. She didn't know much about what people her age talks about, nor she did know how to make friends. She'll have to figure out as the year went by. It was the first day; she would likely just be left alone. She ate alone not expecting to be disrupted her but as she ate a voice caught her attention.

"Oh hey, you're the new girl I saw sitting in the back of the class are you not?" 

She looked up to see a boy with orange hair and a girl with purple hair with a red bow approaching her. She didn't know if she had ended up at the wrong table or not, but she decided to answer his question and see where it went. 

"Yeah, it's my first day here."

The two looked at each other before sitting down at her table. They didn't look bothered by her being there, so she didn't see a reason to leave unless they told her to. 

"Really? Guess that explains why you're sitting all by yourself. Just moved here?"

"No, I've lived here all my life but surgery from when I was little left me more fragile, so I ended up being sheltered and being tutored instead of going to school."

That was the story she knew of anyways. She wasn't sure why she was so open to this guy but, for some reason, it felt like she could.

"Ahhh, that must explain why you look younger yet are attending your final year. I'm Shirou Emiya."

Shirou was his name, huh. He seemed nice. Maybe that was why he decided to bring his friend and talk to her. Speaking of his friend she spoke up after he gave his name.

"I'm Sakura Matou. What's your name?"

Sakura was quiet and sweet, but she felt off for Hakuno. Hakuno could tell they were both mages. She didn't know how she was able to sense it or was so sensitive to it but, whenever a mage or something magical was near her, she could feel it. Still, they offered their names. It would be rude not to give them her name.

"I'm Hakuno Kishinami and, to answer your question Shirou, I'm two years ahead of where someone my age should be." 

Over the next few weeks, she got to know the two and became good friends with both of them. Shirou was popular amongst the students. Friends with the student president. He seemed like an alright guy. Sakura was nice as well, shy and quiet but she was nice. The one thing she hated about Sakura wasn't herself but her brother. She didn't talk to him and only saw him when he talked to Shirou, but she could tell he was the type of guy that screamed: "Do not trust me." Despite that, Shirou was friendly towards him. She wasn't sure why as she knew Shinji didn't see Shirou as a friend, but maybe that was why Shirou was so popular. 

One day, Sakura and Shirou told her that they would be busy during lunch. She was alright with it. They didn't need to eat together. As she was about to head to eat, Shirou stopped her.

"If you don't feel comfortable eating alone amongst other people, you could go eat up on the roof." 

She looked at him a bit confused. The roof? She didn't think students were allowed up there alone. 

"Isn't the roof suppose to be off-limits?" 

"The teachers here are less strict when it comes to things. Plus, even with the option, most students end up eating as they normally do."

She had no reason not to believe Shirou. He'd been here longer, and they were well enough friends that he wouldn't trick her into doing something that would get her in trouble. She nodded as she headed upstairs. No one seems to mind or tries to stop her as she made her way to the roof door.

As she walked onto the roof area, she sees no one else up here. Shirou had been right about no one going up here despite being able to. She walked over to one of the fences as she looked out towards the city. It was a beautiful view. She was shocked no one sat up here for it alone. She stared out into the distance and was too distracted that she didn't hear the roof door open as someone walked through and looked at her before speaking.

"I didn't expect anyone else to be up here." 

She turned to meet the looked of a girl around Shirou's age. She had black hair with her hair done in twin tails and wore a red overcoat.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't know anyone else came up here. If you need me to leave, I can."

"No, you're fine. I'm just not used to seeing anyone else up here." 

She sat down as she patted the area next to her, offering Hakuno a seat. It would be rude not to so she sat down next to her.

"You're that new girl that hangs out with Shirou and Sakura right? I've seen you around them." 

"Yeah, they've helped me a lot since I first got here."

"That seems like something they would do. Helping people even though they aren't in the same class."

'Not in the same class?' It took Hakuno a moment before she realized the girl was thinking that way because of her age.

"No actually, I'm in the same class as Shirou so this is my last year of schooling. I got ahead two years because I got tutored most of my life."

The girl looked at her a bit shocked.

"R-really!? Sorry, I didn't think you were an advance student type. You look too plain to be someone like that."

Hakuno just looked at the girl. That was a bit rude. Sure, she didn't seem smart, hot, or anything like that, but isn't it a bit harsh to judge someone based on looks? Of course, the girl quickly realized what she said and try to explain herself.

"N-no I didn't mean like that. I meant you looked like an ordinary girl when you were looking out towards the city, so I didn't think you were an advanced student."

Well, that was a better way of putting it instead of rude. The girl sighed as she looked apologetic.

"Sorry, I'm not the greatest when it comes to talking to people. I'm Rin Tohsaka."

"Hakuno Kishinami."

They ate the rest of the time in silence. Likely because Rin was too embarrassed to try and start another conversation. Hakuno could sense she was also a mage, but Rin seemed like someone who was nice but had a rough outgoing personality. As lunch began to come to a close, Rin looked back at her as Hakuno started to get up.

"Hey, I know we didn't get off on a great start but, if you don't mind, I would like to talk to you again up here during lunch."

Hakuno didn't mind. Despite the rough introduction, Rin was a lovely person, and she had enjoyed talking to her. She'll have to speak with Shirou and Sakura and let them know, but she could plan days to come up and talk to Rin.

"Yeah sure. It's been fun. Plus, this place has a nice view."

Rin nodded as they both headed back downstairs. Over the next few weeks, whenever Shirou and Sakura would get busy, she would go up and have talks with Rin. It was enjoyable, besides when Rin would accidentally insult her, but she didn't mind. She found it cute, but she thought it would be weird to say it to another girl, so she kept it to herself. However, one thing stuck in her mind whenever she talked to Rin or Sakura. Their last names felt familiar to her. She wasn't sure wise, but she felt like she had heard their names before. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Any thoughts, ideas, and feedback are appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

Over the next to 2 months, going to school, talking to Shirou, Rin, and Sakura became a routine for Hakuno. The nervousness she felt when she first started had long since left her as she has become comfortable with her new life. She and Shirou even started walking home together after she found out he didn't live too far from where she did. Shirou had made several offers for her to come by and eat dinner with him and Sakura, but she felt she already takes enough time from them at school alone. Plus, she had food at her place so it wasn't like she couldn't eat her home.

Today, however, she was walking home alone. Shirou had told her not to wait for him as he needed to talk to Shinji before he went to clean the archery range. She asked what it was about, but he didn't tell her, and she didn't try to pry an answer out of Shirou. Still, whatever it was, she felt it was something terrible despite Shirou's usual demeanor. She had a few ideas of what it could be, but all of them were things Shirou couldn't fix by just talking to Shinji about it.

As she walked home, her mind kept trying to think why Rin and Sakura's last names sounded familiar to her. She couldn't remember where she had heard their names for or why they sounded important, but she knew they were somehow. She didn't have homework to do and no plans for tonight. Maybe she could go through some of the books her family kept and find something. She knew they were both mages so it shouldn't be that hard to find something on mage families. 

After getting home and 30 minutes of looking through books her mother had kept, she eventually found a record book that had the names of mage families. She was glad she never thought of getting rid of these books over the years to make space. 

She sat down and looked through the book. It didn't take long for her to find the names Tohsaka and Matou within the text. They, along with another mage family called the Einzberns, created a magic ritual called "The Holy Grail War." She knew what the Holy Grail was, but she didn't understand why they would create a ritual for it. As far as she knew, the Grail had been returned to Heaven by Galahad. There shouldn't be something like this if that story were true.

Maybe Rin or Sakura could give her a better idea of what it was. She looked through, trying to find if Shirou's mage family was in here too. They were once considered a mage family that focused on Time Manipulation magic but were no longer considered one thanks to the 4th head of the family. The book didn't say what for, but she imagines he must have done something horrible. Whatever the case was, Shirou was an Emiya by name only. Still, they were all mages at least.

As she holds the book open, she was curious about what her family was known for doing. She knew they were connected to King Arthur somehow. As she searched for her family's name through the book, she comes across many other mage families but, eventually, she finds her family name as well as a title.

"Kishinami: Keepers of the Arthurian Truth."

Arthurian Truth? What was that? Did her family keep some secrets about the truth behind the Arthurian Legends or something? Sure, they had relics, documents, and books that seem to be from that time, but there didn't seem to be some secret amongst them that somehow was vital to the legends. Then again, the diary she found was written in Latin so she couldn't read it. Still, at least she knew something more about her family and their relation with King Arthur. 

Still, she couldn't help but think she had heard the Matou and Tohsaka names before. She felt like she heard them mention as well as the Holy Grail war before, but she couldn't remember. As she was trying to recall where she had heard them before, she felt her magic circuits beginning to activate as, with moments, the books that covered the table in front of the couch were no longer there, and the sunset filled room was dark with only lamp light filling the room. She blinked, not sure of what happened as a familiar voice caught her attention.

"Lorelei trust me. If you were here seeing it with your own eyes, you would be as upset as I am"

She turned to see her mother looking out the window as she saw what her mother was talking about to this 'Lorelei' person. On the other side of town, the city was in flames. She could hear sirens in the distance as she slowly began to remember this night. She had been woken up by the sirens as she felt scared. She didn't know why, but she felt like something terrible had happened. Now she knew. All she could do is stare at the burning city as she listened to her mother talks to whoever this 'Lorelei' person was even though she was unable to hear what the other person was saying.

"Of course it has something to do with the Grail War. What else could it have been?"

"It's bad Lorelei. The worst part is, my family was right."

"No. My family has spent the last 200 years trying to tell the Tohsakas, Matous, and Einzberns, that this would end up happening. That you couldn't create a holy grail in this manner." 

Her mother gave a sighed as she seemed to calm down a little.

"Look, I'm sorry, but half the city is burning, and a lot of people are likely dead. I'm not sure what kind of reaction I should be having other than the one I am having right now."

"I can look around once things calm down and try to find any surviving Masters. Maybe one of them can fill us in on how something like this happened." 

"Right. Look, Lorelei, I need to go. Hakuno is probably upset from all the sirens going off, and she likely can sense something bad has happened. I'll talk to you once things calmed down."

As her mother hung up the phone, her senses returned to reality as she stared outside the window looking out towards the city that, moments ago, was up in flames. She rubbed her forehead as she tried to explain to herself what she just saw. She heard her say Tohsaka, Matou, the Grail War, so she now knew where she had listened to those words from but what exactly did it all mean. All she got from trying to figure it out was a slight headache. She didn't even know how she had seen what she just saw nor what caused it.

She closed the mage family book as she decided to head to bed early, opting to take a quick shower to try and help with her head before doing so. She needed to talk to Sakura or Rin about what she had seen and what they knew about the fire that happened ten years ago. After she had herself a shower, she put on her nightclothes as the moon began to rise. She hoped whatever Shirou and Shinji needed to talk about got resolved as she began to close her eyes and fall asleep. Sadly, her sleep did not last long.


	4. Chapter 4

A golden sword flashed into her mind as Hakuno quickly woke up. She didn't know what was with the sword, but, for whatever reason, it felt familiar. It wasn't the only thing she saw within the brief flashes she had experience in her sleep. She saw a hill littered with bodies, a lake, and a blond woman peacefully lying dead in a forest. She couldn't explain what she just saw nor did she have time to think about as another thing caught her attention.

She felt two massive amounts of mana nearby. She didn't know what was going on, but she just felt like she needed to check it out. She got up, quickly got dressed, and ran outside looking around trying to see where the mana sources. She got a direction that only made her feared the worst. It was coming from Shirou's house. Did something happen with Shinji, or was this something else? Regardless, she started heading towards his home.

As she ran, she felt one of the two mana sources leave as she felt another one come along with what felt like Rin heading towards Shirou's house. What was going on? What were these mana sources? They weren't human that was for sure. They felt like pure mana instead of having magic running through a human body. As she got closer to the house, she heard the sound of metal clashing against one another and Shirou saying something that got whatever was fighting to stop as she finally turned the corner and saw Shirou and Rin as well as a man dressed in red with two swords in his hands and a woman in blue outfitted with armor.

"Rin?! Shirou?!"

The four turned to see her as they all looked equally shocked by her as Rin was the first to speak up.

"Hakuno? What are you doing here?"

"I can ask you the same thing. Who are these people?"

Before Rin could give a reply, the woman in blue stepped in front of Shirou. 

"Master stay back. She's dangerous."

"Saber, calm down. Hakuno is a friend."

Now that she looked at the woman's face, Hakuno immediately remembered the image she saw. This girl and the girl from her dream looked almost identical. What was going on tonight? First, she had that vision about the fire ten years ago. Then, she had those weird dreams, and now a woman standing in front of her resembled the same girl from one of her dreams. 

Before she could get any more confused Rin stepped in.

"Look, we all got questions so let's calm down, go inside, and talk. Can we all agree to do that?"

She nodded as she looked at Shirou and the girl called Saber. It took them both a few moments, but they both agreed as Shirou and Saber lead the way into the house with Rin looking at her as she followed them in.

Once everyone had sat down, Rin started making tea. Hakuno was still trying to process everything that has happened, but she kept getting distracted as Saber was keeping an eye on her. She didn't know what she did, but she could get the idea that Saber didn't trust her, even though Shirou told Saber that they were friends. 

Rin finished making tea as she gave everyone a cup and she began to talk.

"Right so Hakuno, what are you doing here?"

"Rin." 

It was all she needed to say to make Rin realized what she said was rude. She had gotten used to this. Rin didn't mean to be rude, but she ended up coming off like she was. She eventually got to the point that by sternly but jokingly saying her name was enough to make her rethink what she said.

"I didn't mean it like that. I meant, how did you know to come here?"

"Much better. I sensed two massive mana sources here, and I came to make sure Shirou was alright. One ended up leaving before you, and your friend in red arrived before I did."

Both Shirou and Rin looked at her like she was crazy. Neither one of them spoke so she looked at Saber wanting to ask her something as she has barely taken her eyes off her since they came inside.

"Saber right? Did I do something to offend you? You seem ready to attack me after you saw me."

Saber stayed silent, not giving her anything. She didn't know what she did to anger Saber. Before the silence could get any weirder Shirou looked at Rin.

"Maybe you should explain to us what's going on."

"I guess. Hakuno how much do you know exactly about the Holy Grail War?"

"A few things. Why do you ask?"

Rin simply laughed a little.

"Ok, that's a bit funny. A non-Master knows more than an actual Master. No offense Shirou."

Shirou looked away a bit embarrassed. Hakuno decided to fill Shirou in as much as she could with what she knew.

"Well, I don't know too much. I know it started between Rin's family, Sakura's family, and another family called the Einzberns."

"Is that it?"

She didn't know why but as Rin said that she felt nothing but frustration. Three months of confusion, frustration, and headaches come at her all at once as she turned to Rin.

"I'm sorry Rin, but I didn't have parents to teach me this stuff since I lost both of my by the time I was 6. Over the past 3 months, I've been trying to figure out this stuff only to come out of it more confused and even less sure what my family's connection to King Arthur is and, to top it all off, I have a vision of my mom talking to someone about the fire that happened 10 years ago, tried to sleep it off only to get random images flash in my head, wake up only to sense mana sources I've never seen before near where my friend lives, sensed you with a third one, and then come to find you two with some guy and a girl who I saw in one of the images in my dream. So, no Rin, I don't know, and I'm sorry that I'm useless."

The room just went quiet as she finished. She felt horrible for her outburst, but everything had been making her feel like a failure of a mage. Neither Shirou or Rin spoke as she got up.

"Look, I'll see myself-"

Before she could finish Rin pulled her back down and into a hug. 

"Hakuno, why didn't you tell Shirou or me this? You knew we were mages. Why not ask for our help?"

"I didn't know if you two knew you were mages or not. I, at least, know mages aren't supposed to tell non-mages about magic stuff. I didn't wanna risk you two getting hurt."

Rin didn't say anything as she continued to hug Hakuno. She didn't know how to feel about this. Luckily, Shirou broke the moment.

"Rin is there anyone else we can talk to that can explain this? I don't want to be rude, but I don't think we are getting anywhere with you trying to explain it."

"Yeah, I kinda had that coming. There is the person who supposes to keep the war from getting out of hand. I need to take you to him so you and Saber can get registered for the war, so it kinda works out."

"That sounds like a plan then."

Hakuno felt like she should speak up. As they all began to get up, she looked at the Saber, Shirou, and Rin. 

"I'm sorry about yelling like that."

Shirou and Rin just looked at her, and both smiled as Shirou responded.

"Hey, I'd probably react the same if I was in your position."

"Same. So, don't worry about it, Hakuno. Why not tell us what you do know as we are heading to the church? Maybe we can help clear things up for you."

Hakuno couldn't help but smile at their kindness.

"Sure. Thank you both for being so nice despite not knowing me for long."

"Oh and one last thing."

"Yes, Rin?"

Rin lightly slapped her on the cheek. It didn't hurt too much, but she still felt a little pain. 

"Don't ever call yourself useless. You're many things Hakuno, but useless is not one of them."

Hakuno felt herself blushing for some reason. She wasn't sure why, but Rin's words made her feel weird. She quickly shook off the feeling before smiling as they left Shirou's house with Saber following behind and Archer, what Rin called him, was somewhere she couldn't see, but Rin told them not to worry about her trying to betray them.

Meanwhile, Saber kept looking at Hakuno except her look was not one of sinister intent but one of curiosity. Saber remembers what Hakuno had said during her venting. She had seen her in her dreams, her family had connections to her legend and, combining that with her mana feeling familiar, left Saber weary of who Hakuno might be. She wasn't completely sure yet but, if what she was proven true, then she would have no other explanation for the connection other than she and Hakuno were related. 


	5. Chapter 5

As the group walked to the church, Hakuno told them everything she had found. She said to them about the boxes filled relics, documents, and books as well as the diary with the magic lock. As she brought it up, Shirou looked at her a bit curious.

"Magic lock? Like, it needs a magic key or something?"

"No, it's just a lock that seems only to unlock itself whenever certain magic circuits interact with it. It's how I know, whoever that diary or journal belonged to, I'm related to them since it opened for me."

Rin and Shirou looked shocked. Rin looked at her.

"Wait, if it opens for you then why haven't you read it yet? I'm sure you would have found out if you did right?"

She just shook her head.

"No, the journal is written in Latin. I could only make out certain words, but that's it."

"Those being?"

"Names mostly. Mordred, Lancelot, Gawain, Bedivere, and Galahad were the ones I was able to read, but I knew where they were from." 

Shirou and Rin both nod. It was pretty clear: she had a connection to someone from Arthurian Legends. She didn't think there were many mages back there so she wasn't sure who it could be. Before she could think anymore, Saber interrupted the three.

"I should be able to read it for you, Hakuno."

She stopped as she looked back at Saber.

"Are you sure? I thought you disliked me." 

"It wasn't that I disliked you, it was that I didn't know if I could trust you or not. Like I said previously, your magic feels similar to someone I knew from my life. I hope you can forgive me for being as hostile as I was."

Hakuno wasn't sure why Saber was sorry. Sure, she had been hostile to her, but Saber had her reasons and every right to be. She might have been the same way if she was in Saber's position. 

"It's ok Saber. There's nothing to apologies for." 

Before Saber could respond, Rin cut into the conversation.

"Hey, we are almost there."

Hakuno and Saber both look to see a church coming into view. As Hakuno went on to catch up with Shirou and Rin, Saber thought about how kind Hakuno had been despite having every right to hate her back. How could someone as kind and sweet as Hakuno be a descendant of her sister? Saber wanted to see if Hakuno could piece together who she was. From there, Saber would decide on whether or not to let her know the truth before she found it in the books she had.

Shirou and Rin thought it would be best for Hakuno to stay outside since she wasn't a Master and her magic circuits might cause some alarms. She didn't mind waiting outside along with Saber. It might give them time to talk. Saber seems to know something about Hakuno's ancestor. She didn't want to pry so she waited next to Saber hoping Saber would start the conversation. Eventually, she does as Hakuno looks at her.

"You said you had images appear in your dream, right?"

Hakuno just nodded.

"A hill littered with dead knights, you, or someone who looked like you, lying dead against a tree, a lake, and a golden sword. Those were the four things that I saw right before I woke up."

Saber knew what all those things meant. The Aftermath of the Battle of Camlann and Bedivere returning Excalibur to the Lady of the Lake. Did her summoning cause Hakuno to see those things? She wanted to think of want else, but Hakuno spook up.

"Saber do....do you know who my ancestor is? You seem to know of them, and I know they were related to the Arthurian Legends. Were you a knight in your life?"

Saber couldn't help but let out a little chuckle. Whoever Hakuno's parents were, they seem to have made sure Hakuno knew of her legend. She couldn't let Hakuno not have an answer. She looked around to make sure Archer or anyone else was about to hear her. She would likely have to say her true name to convince Hakuno. Hakuno took a look at Saber and eased her mind.

"It's ok Saber. Archer is out of earshot, and I don't detect anyone else near us. If you wanna tell me without anyone else knowing you can."

Saber nodded as she prepared herself.

"Hakuno, your mana is similar to that of Morgan le Fay. I would know because she was my sister."

It took a moment for Hakuno to let it sink in. Was she a descendant of Morgan? And what did Saber mean by she was Morgan's sister? Morgan only had one sibling, and that was King Arthur.....

Hakuno felt the time beginning to slow to a crawl as her mind flashed back to the images she saw. They started to make sense now. The Hill of dead knights was the aftermath of the Battle of Camlann. King Arthur dying and Excalibur returning to the Lady of the Lake explained the other images she saw. She looked at Saber, who was smiling as if she could tell the realization she can make. She still felt like she needed to say it.

"You.....you're King Arthur?"

"Yes, though my real name is Arturia. It's nice to meet you, Hakuno Kishinami."

With those words, Hakuno was left speechless.


	6. Chapter 6

As Arturia watched Hakuno stare speechless at her, something was still bothering her. She knew Hakuno was a descendant of Morgan. The evidence was clear of that. The thing Saber couldn't figure out was how. All of Morgan's children were killed, with the Battle of Camlann Mordred, there shouldn't have been anyone left to carry Morgan's bloodline. 

Yet, despite all that evidence suggesting the opposite of what she said, Hakuno stood before her. Not only that, despite being a descendant, her magic made Arturia mistake her for Morgan herself. She didn't know a lot about magic, but she thought, over generations, magic circuits degraded. Perhaps there were methods to strengthen them but not to the degree Hakuno has. As she was pondering all this Hakuno snapped out of her shock.

"Is everything alright Saber?"

"While your ancestor is clear, I don't know how you are their descendant nor how you got such magic circuits without being a direct descendant."

Before Hakuno could try and give an answer, Archer appeared beside them and spoke.

"The Kishinami family was once known for their expertise in magic circuits, along with being descendants of a person from Arthurian Legends and the supposed "Keepers of the Arthurian Truth."

They both looked at Archer. Arturia was curious to know how Archer knew what Hakuno's family did.

"Look, I worked with the Kishinamis a few times in my life. I heard rumors that they knew how to transplant magic circuits into people, but I never found any evidence to suggest the rumors were true or not. I just thought you should know and also tell you two to finish up whatever you are talking about since Shirou and Rin are about done talking to the Church Representative."

Hakuno looked back at the Church and felt Shirou and Rin about to leave as she nodded to Archer and looked at Arturia.

"We can talk later Saber." 

Saber nodded. She still wanted to know what Archer had meant by working with the Kishinamis, but she knew she wouldn't likely get a straight answer.

Rin and Shirou exited the Church soon after. They filled Hakuno in on what she missed as well as the details she didn't know about the Holy Grail War. All she could do is think back to what she saw during the vision she had yesterday and what her mother had said. She couldn't let that happen again. Before she could speak, Shirou and Rin both voiced their concerns.

"Hakuno, maybe it's for the best you try to stay out of this. You aren't a master like us, so you have no reason to help us."

"As much as I hate to say it, Shirou right Hakuno. You'll be in more danger by sticking around us." 

They weren't wrong. She knew this war would be dangerous. Despite knowing the risks, she couldn't just abandon her friends. Arturia stepped in and put a stop on the conversation for now.

"Perhaps it's best we talk about this tomorrow. All of you must be tired at this point." 

Rin and Shirou looked at each other. Neither could disagree with Arturia and Hakuno couldn't either. Maybe she could convince them to let her help tomorrow. She would have to thank Arturia later for helping as well. As they made their way back, Hakuno stopped as she felt two magic sources behind them, causing Hakuno to turn around. Two figures stood behind them. One was a servant, being a sizeable stoic being who's height towered of over the girl next to him. She had red eyes and white hair, but her mana was what made Hakuno the most suspicious about her. She was a mage but, unlike Rin or Shirou, Hakuno could not sense the limit to how much mana she had. The girl took notice of Hakuno and smiled.

"Oh, so you noticed us, huh? How odd that a non-Master sensed a servant before actual Masters do."

Rin, Shirou, and Arturia turned around and saw the two as Arturia quickly got in front of Hakuno and stood ready for a fight.

"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Illyasviel von Einzbern. You two must be the last Masters."

She looked at Shirou and Rin as she said that before turning her gaze towards Hakuno.

"You, on the other hand, you're different. You aren't a master, but you feel special."

Hakuno didn't know what Illya was talking about with her being special. Before she could ask she heard Arturia speak quietly.

"Hakuno, stand back. She intends to fight us. I rather not you get caught in this."

Hakuno nodded as she slowly started to step back as Illya seemed to notice.

"I'm sure I can figure it out after Berserker kills all of you. Berserker."

Before Hakuno could even react, Berserker was charging at her and Arturia. 


	7. Chapter 7

The shockwave from Arturia and Berserker's clash knocked Hakuno back far enough to be out of the way from the fight. She, Shirou, and Rin could only watch as the two began to fight. From Rin and Shirou's expressions, they've already used to seeing servants fight but, for Hakuno, this was her first time watching a full-blown Servant fight. If this was how servants fought, she could understand why Shirou and Rin didn't want her to get dragged into this war. She could only imagine how things were during Arturia's times if she was this strong back then.

Hakuno looked back at Illya, she was using mana, Hakuno could sense it, but she wasn't losing mana either. Was she making more mana than she used, or was there something else to it? As the fight continues, Hakuno saw Rin communicating something with Archer. Before she could ask what they had talked about, Rin threw some magic stones that caused Berserker to be unable to move as a volley of arrows fired off from Archer. She couldn't see where he was, but she saw they were coming from the city. He was probably on top of one of the skyscrapers. Unfortunately, as the smoke cleared, Berserker stood unharmed by the attack. Illya let out a little laugh.

"Is this all 2 Servants from the Knight Class can do? I was expecting more, to be honest. This Grail War might end up being boring if this is the best 2 of the 3 Knight Class Servants have to offer."

As Illya finished saying that, Berserker knocked Arturia into the air before knocking her into a graveyard as she leads Berserker away from them. Illya looked in the direction as she proceeded to follow them. Rin didn't wait as she started to give chase as Hakuno called out to her.

"Rin!? Where are you going?" 

"To deal with Illya. If we can't defeat Berserker, then I'll have to take her out. You two either head home or go catch up to Saber."

Before Hakuno could tell Rin what she found out, she was too far out of earshot to hear her. She started to head after her before Shirou grabbed her wristed.

"Wait, Hakuno, maybe it's best for us to listen to Rin. She seems strong. Maybe she can deal with Illya." 

"No, she can't Shirou. I was keeping an eye on Illya's mana reserves. She was using mana, but she wasn't losing any at all. I don't know what it is, but Rin will likely run out of mana before Illya does if they fight."

Shirou looked at Hakuno a bit shocked. Guess he was surprised she was able to figure that out or he forgot she could sense mana. 

"Look, you go after Saber. I'll go stop Rin from getting herself killed. Once I do we'll catch up with you."

Shirou gave her a nod as he let go and Hakuno headed off to catch up with Rin and Illya.

Hakuno had no idea how or why she was able to sense mana but tonight made her thankful that she could. It wasn't hard to find Rin and Illya. Aside from the explosion as they fought, she could sense Rin and Illya's magic easily. As she finally saw Rin's insight, she saw Rin had a magic shield in front of her, likely created with her magecraft, only for it to shattered along with the spell Rin prepared by a sword that she knew was likely Illya's as Rin stood there defenseless. She saw Illya had another one and, as she had gotten close to Rin, she launched it at Rin. Hakuno tackled Rin out of the way as the sword missed both of them and ended up in a tree. Before Rin could argue, Illya's bird-like creatures she had quickly turned to protect Illya from a volley of arrows. She didn't need to wait to hear from Rin what Archer was doing. Hakuno grabbed Rin's hand as she ran towards where Shirou was. Illya seeming not too worried as she didn't pursue them.

"Hakuno what are you doing? I thought I told you and Shirou to either go home or go after Saber and that I could handle Illya."

"Rin, you would have run out of mana or died before Illya would even have to worry about running out."

"What? Hakuno what do you mean? How can you be so?"

"Rin, in case you forgot, I can sense mana. I was keeping an eye on Illya when Saber and Berserker were fighting. She was using mana but, at the same time, she wasn't losing mana either. Either she can regenerate mana faster than she can lose it or she somehow has a limitless supply of mana."

Rin stayed silent as she heard the second part of what Hakuno said. 

"Rin?"

"Look, I'll explain later but, if what you say is true, Illya and Berserker are going to end up being a problem. Where's Shirou?"

"I told him to go follow Saber, and we'll catch up to him once I had you."

"Smart. Let's hurry then. Oh, and thanks for coming to help me Hakuno." 

"Hey, we're friends aren't we Rin? That's what friends do."

Rin just gave her a look and smirked.

"Friends huh? Didn't know friends held hands like this." 

Hakuno's face immediately turned red as she let go of Rin's hand as Rin laughed.

"Relax Hakuno, I'm just teasing. Now come on before Shirou or Saber gets hurt."

Rin went past her as Hakuno followed her face still a bit red. She couldn't believe Rin could joke about something like that in a situation like this. 

Not too long after, they caught up to Shirou who was keeping his distance from the fight. Arturia was getting some hits on Berserker, but none of them seem to phase him. Hakuno wasn't sure what Arturia could do until she saw Arturia's sword began to glow a golden light as Berserker charged at her grabbing it but whatever Arturia had prepared went off as energy erupted from the sword cleaving Berserker from his shoulder to his gut as the life in his eyes went out. Rin and Shirou smiled.

"Well, seemed Saber was able to beat Berserker after all. Still, that was a tough fight."

"Yeah, Archer couldn't even hurt him. What do you think, Hakuno?"

Rin looked to see Hakuno still having a concerned look on her face.

"Hey, relax Hakuno. It's over."

Rin was wrong. From what Rin and Shirou told her, whenever a Servant is defeated, their bodies fade away. Berserker's body wasn't disappearing, nor did the mana she felt from him stop. Her instincts made her turn to where Archer was as she felt a massive amount of mana coming from an arrow. As she turned back, she saw Berserker beginning to glow. Archer must have known and was about to take a shot. She grabbed Rin and Shirou's arms as she looked to Arturia.

"Saber, get out of there!"

Arturia quickly moved as she pulled Rin and Shirou into cover. Before either could ask what was going on, whatever arrow Archer had used sped right towards Berserker causing a massive explosion to come from where he stood as the blastwaves flew over the cover they were hiding behind. As things began to settle, she looked up to see a decent size crater had been created from the explosion as smoke surrounded the area where Berserker was standing. Rin looked at her confused.

"Hakuno what happened? I thought Berserker was dead. Why did Archer try to blow Saber up?"

"He wasn't dead Rin. I don't know what but Berserker was still alive. Archer must have figured it out as well since he did that so fast."

She looked at Arturia as she was approaching the smoke, only for Berserker's weapon to catch Arturia off guard and send her flying to a rock. She turned to see Illya having arrived at the crater merely looking at what has happened.

"It's a bit disappointing honestly, all this and only four lives got used up by Berserker."

Lives? Was that why Berserker had survived? She didn't have long to think as Illya commanded Berserker.

"Berserker, finish off Saber. There is no sense of playing this out any longer."

Rin and Shirou stared as Berserker headed towards Arturia. Both looked like they were still trying to process what happened. Hakuno had to do something. As she got out of cover and headed down the crater towards Arturia. Rin and Shirou to snap out of their haze as they called out to her.

"Hakuno wait what you are you doing?!"

Honestly, she didn't know. She knew what the smart choice in this situation. Despite that, her instincts made it clear: Arturia had to survive. She didn't know how she would do it, but she was going with her gut. They would either help her save Arturia or end up getting her killed. She reached Arturia as Berserker raised his sword to kill them.

At that moment, she felt time slowing down. She didn't want to lose Arturia after learning that she and Arturia were related. She spent years thinking she had no other family. That she was alone but this night that had changed everything. She found out who her ancestor was and that the girl who told her was her Aunt. She didn't care if Arturia was a servant or a ghost or whatever. She viewed her like family, and she wasn't going to let Berserker take her. 

Those thoughts were all that ran through her mind as her magic circuits activated in full force as she raised her hand and projected a barrier that not only stopped Berserker's strike, it sent him flying back. Hakuno didn't stop with just that. As Berserker managed to stop himself, she filled the still-burning flames of the crater with her mana, causing their color to change to a dark purple, as they all flew around Berserker and surround him before Hakuno sent them all at Berserker creating a massive pillar of flame. She could hear Berserker roaring in pain from the fire only for those roars to be silent as the flames soon dissipated as all that remained of Berserker was a burnt husk. It was the last thing Hakuno could see as her magic circuits began to deactivate as Hakuno's vision began to blur. All she could hope for was that Berserker had taken care of as she began to fall, the last thing she felt was someone catching her.

Arturia had managed to snap out of her shock just in time to catch Hakuno. She didn't know how Hakuno managed it, but she somehow had defeated Berserker. At least, that was what Arturia had hope for before she saw Berserker's burnt husk began to glow as he began to regenerate. Arturia held Hakuno in one of her arms as she got ready to defend Hakuno. Hakuno had risked her life to save her. Her honor as a knight would ruin if she didn't do the same. As Berserker finished regenerating and got ready to charge at her, Illya spoke a command.

"That's enough Berserker."

Berserker seemed to calm down as Arturia's eyes went towards Illya as she thought Illya was looking at them but, instead, saw she was looking at Hakuno.

Illya couldn't believe what she just saw. She knew the girl was different but to think she not only could use Old Magic but manage to take 2 of Berserker's lives. She could easily have Berserker finish them off but, with only half his lives remaining, she didn't want to risk it. It's very much possible other masters have sensed what has happened and had sent their servants here. They needed to leave but not before she got that girl's name. She looked at Saber.

"What is her name Saber?"

Arturia wasn't sure she should give it to Illya, she could come after Hakuno. She didn't see ill intent in Illya's eyes. Instead, she saw curiosity. Reluctantly, she gave Illya her name.

"Hakuno Kishinami."

"Well then, tell Hakuno I would like to meet and learn more about her. It's not often you run into a mage that can use old magic. Until we see each other again." 

And like that, Illya and Berserker were gone. Arturia released her sword as she picked Hakuno up and looked to make sure she was alright. Her breathing was a bit weak, but she seemed to be exhausted from using her magic. Shirou and Rin had made it down the crater as they came over to her. Shirou being the first to voice his concerns.

"Saber are you two ok?"

"We're fine my Master. Hakuno defeating Berserker seemed to have caused Illya to retreat."

She saw Rin staring at Hakuno as she was still in shock.

"That was Old Magic. Hakuno...can use Old Magic?"

Rin face turned worst as she started to process what this meant.

"This is bad. If any other Master sensed what just happened, they'd be looking for Hakuno. She just dragged herself into this war."

Arturia looked at Hakuno. If any other Master came for her, Arturia would protect her. She owed Hakuno for protecting her from Berserker and risking herself by using her magic. Shirou stepped in to calm the two.

"Look, let's take her back to my place for tonight. She'll likely be asleep for a while. Saber can keep an eye on her while we're at school."

"Fine but, after school tomorrow, we're going to her place and figuring out who her ancestor is. We need to know who's magic she inherited."

Arturia already knew, but she stayed silent. It better they found out through what Hakuno had. Archer arrived at the scene as Rin waved goodbye before she and Archer left. Arturia carried Hakuno as they headed back to Shirou's house. She held Hakuno close. She wasn't going to let anyone hurt her. Not as long as she could do something about it.

Gilgamesh had seen the pillar of fire from the window in the Church. He didn't need to go outside to sense what had happened. Someone had used Old Magic. What was even more surprising, it was likely a human who used it. He turned to Kirei who had a surprised expression as well.

"This is...unexpected."

"Unexpected but not unwelcomed. It seems those two mongrels from earlier had a friend."

Gilgamesh had sensed a different presence outside while Kirei talked to Rin and Shirou about the war. He had not known it was special. If he did, he would have gone out and gotten the person himself. 

"It seems we might not need to use Rin after all. If we can find out who that person was and get them, I imagine they would make for a better grail that Rin ever could."

Kirei knew what Gilgamesh means. As powerful as Rin was, she paled in comparison to what they had felt. He felt terrible about having wasted a decade of work training the girl and ensuring her magic circuits remained strong. Perhaps they could still make use of her.

Regardless, Gilgamesh and Kirei both knew this war would be different. Rather than Masters fighting for the Grail, this war might end up with the Masters fighting over a human with Old Magic. This war was about to be turned upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, almost 15,000 characters later and chapter is done. The longest chapter yet.
> 
> Also, this will likely be the only chapter this weekend as I'm going to be busy this weekend. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter.


	8. Chapter 8

Hakuno opened her eyes as she stood on the same hill she saw as an image. She looked around, seeing the hilltop covered in the bodies of dead knights and weapons. She didn't know what was going on till she saw someone in a cloak walk past her as they approached one of the bodies. Hakuno followed them, unable to see any distinct features for the cloaked person. As she caught up to the cloaked person who stood over one of the knights, Hakuno looked at the knight only to be shocked.

The girl looked almost like Arturia. She wore different armor and had a more rough style hair, but she looked almost like Arturia. The cloaked figured spoke a name that answered Hakuno's confusion as well as clarified if she was a guy or girl.

"Mordred...I'm so sorry."

Hakuno knows who Mordred was. Had she not realize Arturia was King Arthur, she would have found it weird that Mordred was a girl. It would make sense if Arturia could hide her gender, then Mordred could do the same. Still, why was she sorry? Mordred chooses to fight Arturia. The cloaked woman knelt next to Mordred. 

"I can not save you, but the least I can do is make sure Morgan can never use you again."

Hakuno watched as the cloaked woman seemed to dispell an invisible aura around Mordred before she closed Modred's eyes and stood up and looked around.

"It seems you have won, Mother. Your sister is dead, and Camelot is in ruins, but at what cost? Everyone, who considered you family, is dead and you have nothing. Your victory is a hollow one."

Hakuno felt the dream began to fade as she felt herself beginning to wake up. She had so many questions. Who was that cloaked woman? She didn't remember anyone who would fit her description from any legend she had read. Maybe Arturia would know who she was or perhaps some of the notes she had would explain who she is.

Hakuno slowly began to wake up as it was still dark outside. She wasn't sure how long she had been out for or what time it was, but before she could start to think of worst-case scenarios, Shirou and Arturia's mana eased her worries. It seems as though they got away or she made Illya retreat. Shirou was likely asleep, but she could see if Arturia was awake so she could fill her in on what happened. As she got up, her entire body ached. Maybe her first use of magic shouldn't have been done in such a fashion, but they were alive. That's all that matters.

Arturia was standing outside looking at the stars and seemed to be too distracted with whatever was on her mind to notice her walk out. She didn't want to bother Arturia, so she just waited till Arturia saw of her. It took a couple of minutes, but Arturia turned and saw her and looked a bit shocked.

"Hakuno? What are you doing up so early? Rin said you would likely be out for most of today."

"I guess Rin doesn't know my full capabilities yet. Though I am a bit achy, I'll live."

Arturia gave Hakuno some space to sit down. Hakuno takes Arturia's offer and sits down next to her as Arturia filled her in on what happened with Berserker and Illya after she blacked out. Arturia then turned to her.

"Hakuno, why did you jump in to save me? You're no Master, nor did you have any stakes in this war. Why take that risk to protect me?"

"I-I know it might sound dumb, especially because you probably don't view me like that but, I didn't want to lose someone I just found out I had connections with."

Arturia stayed silent. She didn't know how to respond to what Hakuno said. Even though she was just a servant, Hakuno still viewed her like she was family. Before she could ask Hakuno went into details.

"I...I lost both my parents by the time I was 6. I have spent only ten years alone without anyone there for me. I had caretakers and tutors but no one who loved me like family. Maybe it's a bit stupid and immature to be still mourning about my mother after almost ten years but..."

Hakuno went silent, seemingly unable to talk more without making herself upset. Arturia could see the hidden grief Hakuno hid with her usual demeanor. She understood why Hakuno would be so insistent on wanting to protect her, Rin, and Shirou. They had been the first people she has had been close to in almost ten years. Arturia wanted to pull Hakuno into her, wrap her arms around her, and tell her that she wouldn't let anything happen to Shirou and Rin. Before she could put her plan into action, a voice from behind interrupted their talk.

"It seems you've been through a lot Hakuno. I'm surprised you've never brought this up with Sakura or me."

They both turned to see Shirou standing at the door leading looking at the two as Hakuno got up to her feet, but Arturia could tell it was painful to do so. Hakuno didn't let on she was being bothered by it. 

"Sorry, we didn't mean to wake you Shirou."

"It's fine Hakuno, I usually get at this time. I imagine Arturia was as surprised as I am to see you awake. Rin told us you might not be able to wake up for school."

The two talked for a few minutes, and Arturia couldn't help but smile at the two. They seem like close friends despite only knowing each other for a few months. However, a comment Hakuno made brought her focus back on the conversation.

"Well, I should get going and get back to my house so I can get ready and eat breakfast."

Arturia frowned. Hakuno hadn't fully recovered from what she did last night, yet she wanted to walk home. Sure, she likely didn't live far away as she seems to have gotten to Shirou's place soon after her summoning, but she was in no condition to walk anywhere at the moment, much less alone. Arturia would have an object, but Shirou beat her to it.

"Hakuno it's fine, you're still exhausted from what you pulled off last night. Arturia can go get your stuff for school, and I don't mind cooking for one more person."

Hakuno sighed in defeat. She could tell Arturia was thinking the same thing as Shirou and would have likely stopped her if Shirou didn't.

"Ok but you can get washed first Shirou since I need to wait for Arturia to get back with my stuff."

"Fair enough, I can cook while you're getting ready. Should be plenty of time."

Hakuno just nodded as Shirou headed back inside to get ready as Hakuno gave Arturia a key and told her where her stuff should be and what it looked like as well as directions for her house. Arturia just smiled after Hakuno finished. 

"Got it. I will be back in a few minutes. You rest Hakuno."

And with that, Arturia headed off to Hakuno's house as Hakuno went inside to wait. She still felt bad for them having to do this for her. She knew Rin told her not to think herself as useless but, whenever others helped her, she couldn't help but feel useless. Maybe it was because she spent most of her life taking care of herself that she didn't know how to rely on others. Regardless, she sat on one of the seats Shirou had and waited for Arturia to get back. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, surprised weekend chapter. I managed to get some time between Saturday and today to sit down and write so I did and got this done. Hope you all enjoy this chapter.


	9. Chapter 9

Arturia could tell what Hakuno has been speaking about had some weight to it the moment she walked into her house. Compared to Shirou's house that had a clear Japanese designed, Hakuno's house was that of Western and Old English culture. She didn't have long to look around as she needed to get Hakuno's stuff and head back but she couldn't help but admire the place. Arturia saw the boxes and books that were in the living room. A part of her felt like something in there was calling her but she ignored it. 

Shirou, Rin, Hakuno, and herself would be here later this evening and they could go through the stuff then. She headed into Hakuno's bedroom and got everything Hakuno said to get. As she was doing so, she notices a picture frame that sat on Hakuno's dresser. It was clearly a family photo taken years ago as Hakuno was very young but still had her smile. Arturia couldn't help but smile only for that brief smile to dissipate as she began to understood Hakuno's loneliness. This house was likely filled with good memories for Hakuno and her parents yet Hakuno lost both of them at a young age and spent almost 10 years alone in this house that would only make her remember them.

Despite the dangers of the war, this might be a good thing for Hakuno to get involved in. If Shirou was ok with it, Hakuno could stay at his place for a bit under the pretenses that she would be better protected there. The truth would be Arturia would be able to help Hakuno as well as give Hakuno time away from this place. Things to talk about later though. Arturia gathered everything Hakuno said to get as she headed back to Shirou's house. 

Hakuno wasn't sure what to do while she waited for Arturia to get back. She felt like it would be weird for her to look around Shirou's place while he was showering and she didn't have any books to read to pass the time. All she could do is sit and wait. Something she learned by a very young age she was not good at doing.

Luckily, the world seems to take pity on her boredom as she saw the "ghost" fog began to fill the room. Hakuno was used to the "ghost" appearing at her house that she believe it was connected to the house itself but it seems she was wrong. If only she knew that would be the only assumption she has made over the years that would be proven incorrect with this visit.

The "ghost" appeared sitting in front of her and smiled initially, Hakuno thought this was going to be another instance just at a different place but, as soon as she had that idea, she heard the "ghost" speak for the first time in almost ten years.

"You did very well last night. Managing to defeat that servant twice is no easy task."

Hakuno had no words. This "ghost", who has been watching her for so long, is finally talking. The "ghost" took notice of her shock and let out a soft chuckle.

"You didn't think I couldn't talk, did you? Come now Hakuno, surely you would have better ideas on why I never said anything than that."

"Who are you?"

"I don't need to tell you that. However, Arturia can answer that question if you tell her about me."

Hakuno didn't like it. First, she said Arturia's name so casually despite the only person who should know her name should be Hakuno. Sure, she could have been watching that conversation but that only meant that she was bound to Hakuno rather than her house. Secondly, why would she want Hakuno to tell Arturia about her? She didn't like the idea. Did Arturia know this "ghost"? Hakuno had so many questions but was interrupted as her senses picked up Arturia getting back from her house as the ghost let out a sigh.

"I wish we could talk more but if I am out when she is around, she'll sense me. Just remember what I said Hakuno."

And with that, the room returned to normal as the "ghost" vanished as Hakuno was left there with almost ten years of having an idea about what the "ghost" shattered. She heard the door open and turned to see Arturia enter the room.

"Hakuno I got everything you said to get."

Hakuno got up and went over to Arturia. She did her best to act as nothing had happened.

"Thanks, Saber. Sorry for making you go get it."

Arturia just looked at Hakuno. One thing was definitely becoming clear for Arturia: Hakuno was not the greatest at trying to hide something.

"Is everything alright, Hakuno?" 

"Yeah, just was a bit bored is all."

Arturia decided to drop the subject for now rather than try to pry for an answer. Hopefully, whatever was bothering Hakuno, didn't bother her that much. As she did, Shirou came into the room dressed and let Hakuno know she could take her shower now. Hakuno nodded as she left the room to go take her shower as Shirou looked at Arturia.

"Everything alright Saber? You've been pretty nice to Hakuno since Rin and I went to the Church last night."

"Yes, Master. I apologize for my initial hostility towards her. Now that I've gotten a chance to talk to her, she isn't the person I thought she was."

"That's good but I thought I already told you that you don't have to call me Master. Shirou is fine. Anyways, I should go get breakfast ready."

Arturia nodded as Shirou went off to the kitchen as she took a seat at the table. However, she felt something odd hanging in the air. Maybe it's just Hakuno's mana but Arturia couldn't shake the feeling someone else had been in the room with Hakuno. Was that what was bothering Hakuno? If so, who did she meet? The smell of food caused Arturia to lose her train of thought as she waited for breakfast to be served. 


	10. Chapter 10

Hakuno spent a good bit of time in the shower. The aches she still felt didn't help as she got herself clean, but the "ghost" was still on her mind. For almost 10 years, it or rather she watched Hakuno and never spoke a word. Now, she talks as though she knows Arturia. Hakuno pondered who she could be but nothing came to mind as she sighed. She was going to have to tell Rin, Shirou, and Arturia this evening about all this. She finished showering as she got out, dried off and got changed into her school uniform as she heard people come in and heard someone starting to argue. 

She didn't recognize the person arguing with Shirou as she poked her head out from the hallway as she saw two need people in the room. The first, someone she recognized, was Sakura while the other was someone she didn't know but she could tell she knew Shirou. Sakura turned and looked surprised to see Hakuno.

"Hakuno? What are you doing here?"

Hakuno would have responded if the woman hadn't seen her before going to argue with Shirou even more.

"Another girl?! Shirou when did you become so bad?"

"Taiga it's not like that!"

Ok, Hakuno had no idea what was going on but clearly, Taiga, as she is called, is getting the wrong idea. Hakuno couldn't tell her the truth since she wasn't a mage but she did manage to quickly come up with an excuse for herself and Arturia. It would just come down to Shirou and Arturia playing along. 

"Look, Miss Taiga, me and my sister are only here because we got back from picking her up late last night I was exhausted. Shirou just let us sleep at his place rather than us walking to our house. That's all."

Taiga looks at her and then to Arturia as she seems to calm down.

"Oh, I thought it was something else. Why didn't you say that Shirou?"

"I was trying to tell you that."

"Well, now that we got that cleared up, breakfast almost ready Shirou?"

He nodded as he was finishing up cooking as Taiga and Sakura sat down with Arturia sitting down while having a seat for her as Hakuno sat next to Arturia. As Shirou brought food over, everyone started eating. Hakuno ate slowly, still feeling a bit uncomfortable eating food made by someone else. Maybe because she always ate at her house or went out for dinner rather than eating someone else's food. Arturia took notice of her not eating much and spoke.

"Hey, Hakuno?"

As she spoke she turned her head towards Arturia.

"What is i-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as Arturia stuck a fork of what she was eating into her mouth.

"Stop looking so uncomfortable and eat already. No sense in feeling bad about eating good food."

Hakuno just smiled as she started eating she saw Taiga, soon after, try to go for a bit of Arturia's food only to be stopped by her and a conversation-starting as the rest of us couldn't help but laugh. At least Arturia was playing along with the lie she made. Though, it wasn't fully a lie. She and Arturia were relative, not sisters though, and she did end up staying here because she was too exhausted to go home. She finished up eating as she got up to grab her bags as Shirou and Sakura did as well. Shirou looked at Taiga and Arturia.

"Alright, we're off to school."

"Have a good day you three."

Arturia smiled as the three left the house and walked down the road. She and Taiga would talk for today and then, once they got back, they would finally find out the truth about Hakuno's family.

The day played out mostly as normal. By the start of Hakuno's second class, her aches were gone so she could focus without her mind being distracted. Classes flew by and, before she knew it, it was lunchtime. Rin was surprised to see her up already as she had come to get Shirou as they needed to talk alone. She didn't mind as she would still have Sakura to talk to. The two went off leaving her and Sakura behind as they ate mostly in silence before Sakura asked her something.

"You aren't lying about the story about sleeping at Shirou's house because you were tired are you?"

"Look, whatever you and Taiga think we did, we didn't. I was on my way to get my sister, Shirou noticed me when I was passing by my place, insisted on coming so I let him, took a bit to find my sister but we found her, and by the time we got to Shirou's place I was tired and Shirou offered us to stay at his place for the night. We slept in one of the guest rooms and that was it."

Sakura just nodded. She was happy that Hakuno didn't try anything but, at the same time, she knows what Hakuno said wasn't the truth. Her "sister", was a servant. Sakura knew that with one look. Hakuno must have not realized Sakura was a Master so she was keeping it a secret. Still, that wasn't what Sakura was looking for.

Rider had woken Sakura up after a servant fight had ended. Sakura asked Rider why she felt like waking her up rather than waiting to tell her this in the morning only for Rider to tell her one of the people had used Old Magic. Rider didn't know who but it felt like a mage had used Old Magic rather than a servant. Sakura knew only a few mages but she knew it couldn't have been Shirou or Rin as neither of them had that talent. Hakuno, on the other hand, was someone she didn't know much about. Seeing her at Shirou's place made Sakura all the more suspicious but, from everything she could figure out, it had to be Hakuno. She must have passed out after the fight. Why else wouldn't she just go home as she doesn't live far from Shirou's place.

Still, she needed a way to figure it out. She stayed silent through the rest of the lunch as she planned what she could do. Shinji already had plans to talk to Rin about teaming up. Sakura could easily talk to Shirou before he went to meet with Hakuno and walk home together. That would leave Rider to lure Hakuno away into the woods behind the school and confirm her suspicions. She conveyed her plan to Rider through the telepathic link Servants shared and Rider responded.

"Would you like me to tie her up and bring her to you Master?"

"No. No Rider just talk to her. We just wanna make sure she's the one who has Old Magic. Don't do anything that she would view as threatening or attack her as I'm sure Shirou and Rin will realize something's up and be out there before anything can be explained."

Sakura didn't like playing this sneaky game. That was more of Shinji's thing but she needed to know if Hakuno was the one who used Old Magic last night. If she was, Sakura needed to find a way to keep her safe from the other Masters. Someone like Hakuno would be an expensive toy to certain mages. 

Hakuno was waiting outside for Rin and Shirou to catch up. Rin needed to go talk to Shinji about something and Sakura had grabbed Shirou after lunch and told him she needed to talk to him after school. She didn't mind waiting but they were also making Arturia wait as well. Luckily, it was the day before the weekend so they had the next few days to get answers if they couldn't do it today. 

As she was waiting, however, she started hearing singing. She looked around only to find nobody nearby singing. It took her a few minutes before realizing the singing was coming from the forest and, as she realized that, she started to sense a mana source from within. Hakuno knew it was likely a servant but this was different. If a servant wanted her dead, even more so if the servant was a Lancer or Assassin class servant, she wouldn't be able to put much of a fight. They could kill her and be gone before anyone noticed. 

Whatever servant was singing, their intentions were clearly to lure Hakuno away from the school. Hakuno knew it was a bad idea to do this, but, at the same time, she wasn't a Master. Maybe this servant was wanting to talk without attracting the eyes of other Masters. Hakuno sighed as she began to head into the forest. 

"Rin, Shirou, and Arturia are going to kill me for being this reckless." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, feel like I need to give some clarification for Hakuno's lying. So here is my thought process.
> 
> Hakuno is not great when lying about herself or if she is alright or not. Likely because she never had to be good as the people who took care of her didn't really felt like pressuring her for answers she didn't feel like talking about.
> 
> On the other hand, considering Hakuno would have likely been lying about her parents and the other stuff with Shirou, Sakura, and Rin, I think Hakuno would be good at making stuff up. Though there is more to it I feel like that would be spoilers for one of the next few chapters so I'll leave it at this.
> 
> Hakuno is good at lying/making stuff up but terrible about lying when asked if she is ok or not.


	11. Chapter 11

Hakuno looked around as she wandered through the woods she had heard the singing from. She couldn't tell where the servant was now that they had gone quiet and had hidden in a way she couldn't sense them. At least Hakuno knew, if a servant went into hiding, she wouldn't be able to keep up with them. Still, she was left blind as to if this was to be an ambush or an attack. 

Hakuno felt someone approach behind her as she turns to see a woman with purple hair, an odd outfit, and a mask that covered her eyes. Hakuno could tell she was likely the servant but Hakuno noticed she was unarmed. The servant just stands there as she looked at Hakuno.

"So, it really is you."

Hakuno just tilts her head at the woman. What did she mean by that?

"Ummm..I'm sorry?"

"You're the one who used Old Magic last night against that servant." 

Hakuno knew simply lying wasn't going to work. This servant seems to already be aware of what she did last night. The best option was to see where this went.

"Yes."

Rider could only stare at this girl. Hakuno should fully aware of how dangerous she was yet she stood there not really to fight or anything. Rider knew she wasn't supposed to be threatening but she felt like she needed to establish to this girl who was in control of this situation. 

"You are a fool of a mage. I could kill you or capture you and you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"I'm sure, if that was you're intent, we wouldn't be having this conversation. You would have already done whichever you were ordered to and be on your way." 

Rider couldn't argue against that. The girl had figured out what she was doing. She had what she needed, she could easily just leave but something about the girl kept Rider there. She couldn't help but stare into the girl's eyes as something about them was alluring to her. She unconsciously moved closer as she stared into Hakuno's eyes causing Hakuno to blush and back away a little.

Rider simply stared at the girl as she felt a strange feeling towards her. Before she could take a moment and think about it she turned and quickly dodged a couple of magic blasts that had been fired at her. Only to turn and see the two Masters her Master was friends with.

Rin had gotten done turning down Shinji's offer for an alliance. Having Shirou as an ally was bad enough for her. She didn't need someone else to worry about when they were supposed to be fighting each other. She eventually came across Shirou and Sakura finishing talking as Shirou went over to her.

"So, how did the talk with Shinji go?"

"Well, he's a Master that's for sure."

"Really? He doesn't seem to be a mage."

"He's a Matou, Shirou. It was going to either be him or Sakura. I'm just surprised we haven't encountered a Harwey, if they are even in the war, yet."

"Harwey? Who are they?"

"It's nothing. We can talk about them later once we find out Hakuno's family."

Shirou nodded as he leads Rin to the place Hakuno usually waits for him. Except, when they got there, there was only Hakuno's stuff but no Hakuno. It didn't take Rin long to figure out what could have happened.

"Uggg I'm so stupid. They were distracting us so his Servant could get Hakuno."

She turned to the forest as she could tell a Servant still there. They might be able to save Hakuno still. Shirou noticed as well as he ran towards the forest as Rin followed him. After a few minutes of running, they see Hakuno and the Servant with the Servant being way too close to Hakuno and Hakuno putting up little to no resistance. Rin feared the servant had Hakuno in some kind of trace and fired a few Gandrs at the Servant causing her to back off as Hakuno turned to them.

"Rin? Shirou?"

Rin and Shirou got in front of Hakuno as the Servant drew forth her weapons. They would likely have to fight this servant. They could call Saber and Archer but who knows how long they would take to get here. Of course, before Rin could plan anything Hakuno grabbed both hers and Shirou's hands. 

"Both of you stop. She didn't do anything she just wanted to talk to me. That's it."

"Hakuno listen you're under some spell. She-"

"She asked if I was the one who fought Berserker last night and I answered yes. She has not been hostile or done anything else. She tried to act tough but I called her bluff. So, can you both calm down and let us talk?"

Rin and Shirou both looked at each other and back to Hakuno before lowering their weapons. Rin was going to have some words for Hakuno for being so reckless as to go out alone and meet with a Servant they had no idea about but if Hakuno said she hadn't hurt her then they had no reason to fight the servant. Hakuno walked in front of them and went over to the servant.

"If I may ask, what does your Master want with me if they don't want me captured or dead?" 

"I can not say nor can I talk much more. However, considering how kind you have been to me, I believe I should at least return the favor."

Before any of them could react, Rider gently took hold of Hakuno's chin before kissing her. It was a brief one but she had loved every single moment of it. She pulled away before running away as she could hear Rin yelling at her.

Rider couldn't help but smile. Without question, Hakuno had Old Magic. She could taste it as they kissed, however, it wasn't the only thing she tasted. She could taste Hakuno's purity and innocence. Hakuno hadn't reacted the way Rider was expecting her to. She had expected Hakuno to resist or be in pure shock but she felt neither reaction from her. Hakuno had felt like she had never experienced what she was doing nor had any idea of what Rider had just done. The concept of love and relationships felt absent from Hakuno and it drove Rider insane for her. She had to keep herself from turning back and taking Hakuno for herself. Her master wanted Hakuno to be protected but Rider knew she would have a hard time doing that now.


	12. Chapter 12

Hakuno just stood there in shock as to what just happened. The servant kissed her on the lips before leaving. She didn't feel like she was being infected by anything or that the servant placed a spell on her. It felt like a normal kiss. So why did she feel so weird from her doing so? She heard Rin yelling at the servant as she left as Shirou came over to check on her.

"Hakuno are you alright?"

"Y-yeah. She didn't feel like she infected me or put some spell on me so I'm fine."

Shirou just looked at her like she had said something wrong. Hakuno didn't believe she said wrong. Before she could try and figure it out Rin came over looking upset.

"I swear that has to be Shinji's servant. Only someone like him could summon a servant who would do something like this."

"Rin I'm fine. She didn't do anything bad."

"How can you say that Hakuno? How can you be so calm when some servant just stole your first kiss?"

Hakuno had no idea what Rin was talking nor did she understand why she and Shirou were so upset about that servant kissing her. Why was it so important to them? She sighed as she composed herself before looking at them.

"Look, let's just get going. I imagine Saber is probably tired of waiting is on her way here to see what's taking so long. We can talk about whatever later."

Hakuno managed to get the two to at least agree to that. Rin continues to give her an earful as they started to head back to get her stuff before leaving the school ground. Despite trying to get that servant out of her head, she couldn't. She didn't know why but that servant seems to be all she could think about and, whenever she did, she felt that weird feeling she felt for Rin and Shirou. She groaned internally. What were these people doing to her?

 

Arturia was maybe halfway to the school Rin, Shirou, and Hakuno go to. She knew it would be better for her just to wait but she knew it shouldn't be taking them this long. She feared they have gotten attacked by a servant and with Shirou being who he was likely didn't think of calling her or letting her know they were under attack. However, she didn't feel any fighting in that direction. She would also like to believe that, if something did happen, Archer would have informed her. 

She walked a few more minutes before she saw Rin, Shirou, and Hakuno as Rin was berating Hakuno about something and Hakuno was clearly being bothered by something else. Shirou was the one to notice her as he waved her over and got Rin and Hakuno to noticed. Hakuno was the first one to say something.

"Hey, sorry we're a bit late Saber. We all got distracted by something.

Rin stopped her berating to make a comment that got Arturia curious.

"Some more than others."

"Rin can we not talk about this in front of Saber?"

Shirou was trying to defuse the situation but Arturia curiosity made it so she needed to know what happened.

"Alright, what happened? Why are you and Rin seemingly upset at Hakuno and why is Hakuno look bothered by something?"

Rin was the one to answer but as she did Arturia felt like maybe they should have told her.

"Hakuno got lured into the woods by the Rider servant, they talked, we came and thought she was being kidnapped or put into a trance so we started to fight Rider only for Hakuno to stop us, and, before the Rider servant left, she kissed Hakuno."

Arturia saw Hakuno's face go red as Rin made that last comment and Shirou just sighed. Arturia couldn't help but feel angry. A servant had kissed Hakuno? Whoever Rider was, they were dead. Arturia didn't know why but she felt the urge to go hunt Rider down and kill them herself. Hakuno finally got finished being embarrassed as she just looks at everyone. 

"Ok, now that everyone understands I'm an idiot, can we just go to my place so we can figure out who I'm a descendant from, please? I don't even understand why you guys are so upset about it but, just for tonight, can we drop the subject?"

Arturia calmed down as she saw Hakuno getting upset. She clearly didn't want to talk about what had happened or, rather, she didn't understand what the three of them were upset about. She would have to talk to Hakuno about what she meant by that later. Rin and Shirou seem to also calm down as they headed to Hakuno's house. No one talked or tried to start a conversation so the walk ended up being dull. Soon enough, they arrived as Hakuno got her house key and opened the door before letting them in. While Arturia had already seen the boxes and the house from earlier, she couldn't help but smile as she saw Rin and Shirou's reaction to Hakuno's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Pretty short chapter but mostly because the next one will end up being a long one with how much exposition there is going to be. I hope you enjoy the chapter regardless.


	13. Chapter 13

Hakuno walked in after them as she could tell Shirou and Rin were both shocked by the house. It was big and nice for a person who has been living on their own for almost a decade. She figured she would point them to where all the relics and stuff were as she got them all something to drink.

"The boxes with all the relics, documents, and books are in the living room down the hall. I'm going to make us something to drink before we start looking through all it."

Rin and Shirou nodded as they headed down the hallway as Hakuno headed into the kitchen but saw Arturia not following Rin and Shirou but instead looking at her. 

"Hakuno are you sure you're ok after the Rider incident?" 

"Yes, Saber I'm fine." 

Arturia simply looked her over for a moment before heading down the hallway as Hakuno went into the kitchen and started making them all drinks. It should have been simple but, as her life has slowly become, things aren't that simple as her vision began to get cloudy. Before she knew it, the "ghost" was sitting on the counter looking at her.

"Never took you for someone who just accepted being kissed. Though, not having parents to teach you that probably didn't help."

Hakuno just looked at the "ghost". What was it playing at? Why is it now she seems to be like this and not 10 years ago when she first started seeing her? Maybe if she just ignored her she'll go away. She focused on getting the drinks ready but as she gripped one of the glasses to fill the "ghost" made a comment that made her stop in her track.

"I wonder how Shirou and Rin would react if you, for whatever reason, killed Arturia? Or how Arturia would react to find out you've been in contact with me all these years?"

Those words sent a shiver up her spine. What did she mean by that? She wouldn't kill Arturia and Arturia wouldn't do anything rash for finding out about the "ghost". Right?

"Be real with yourself Hakuno: You don't care about them. You just stay close to them because you don't want to be alone again. I know you better than they could ever know."

She stayed silent. She was wrong. Hakuno did care about them but why did it feel like the "ghost" was also right. Before she knew it, the "ghost" got close to her.

"Unlike me, they'll abandon you once the war is over. Just like how your parents abandoned you."

Those words felt so painful but they also angered her. Maybe she was right about Shirou, Rin, and Arturia abandoning her once the war was over but her parents didn't abandon her. She was still gripping the glass she was about to fill as she turned to the "ghost" and tried to bat them away only for her arm to go through them. As she was doing so, her grip on the glass got loose as the glass ended up flying out of her hand and shattering onto the ground. The fog began to fade as the "ghost" just laughed.

Hakuno just stood in the kitchen as what the "ghost" said echoed in her head. 

 

Arturia went into the living room as she saw Shirou and Rin already looking through the stuff in the boxes. Arturia walked over to join them as she looked through the box full of items. They were rusted and aged by time but Arturia recognized these items as things from her time. She sorted through all of it and she couldn't help but be surprised. How did Hakuno's family come to get all this stuff? 

Arturia immediately stopped as she saw, within a box, something she immediately recognized. She picked up the broken, rusted horn from a helmet. She didn't need to check if it real or a fake. She could feel the remnant energy from it. The energy from the last person she killed in her life. Mordred.

Shirou and Rin took noticed of her staring at the thing as they both looked confused. Shirou was the first to voice his concerns.

"Is everything ok Saber?"

"Yes, it's just a lot of this stuff I am familiar with. It seems Hakuno wasn't lying about her family being related to King Arthur."

Rin was the one to look at her with a bit of skepticism after she said that.

"Wait so you are from King Arthur's time?"

Arturia smiled as she looked at both of them.

"I'm sure that, by the end of tonight, both of you will be able to figure out my identity."

They both looked surprised but they didn't get a chance to ask anything else as they all heard the sound of glass shattering from the kitchen. Arturia was already out of the room by the time Rin and Shirou could call out for Hakuno. Arturia turned to the kitchen as she saw Hakuno standing still as there was glass on the floor from what happened. Arturia walked over to Hakuno, noticing she was pale.

"Hakuno is everything alright?"

Hakuno turned to her a bit shock. Arturia knew Hakuno didn't hear her come into the kitchen as Hakuno tries to recompose herself.

"Y-yeah, just accidentally dropped a cup is all."

Arturia knew Hakuno was lying. Not only that, that same presence she sensed this morning after she got back with Hakuno's stuff for school, could be felt here. Someone or something was bothering Hakuno when she was alone. While it would be easy just to leave it alone, Arturia couldn't help but feel like she needed to help Hakuno. As Hakuno tried to step away so she could clean up the glass and finish making drinks for everyone, Arturia pulled her back into her arms and hugged her as she whispered.

"Hakuno, whatever is going on you can tell me. I want to help you."

Hakuno began to shiver in Arturia's arms as the "ghost"'s warning echoed in her head. If she told Arturia, Arturia would turn against her. Yet, Arturia didn't seem like she would be upset if she did tell her. Hakuno didn't know what to do at the moment so she tried to drop the subject, at least for now.

"I-I'll tell you once we read that journal. I rather let your suspicions about me be clear before I say anything else."

"Promise? I won't let go unless you promise to tell us after finding out the truth about your family."

Hakuno nodded as Arturia let her go and helped Hakuno clean up the glass off the floor. Arturia could see whoever talking to Hakuno was threatening her and trying to get into her head. Her initial thoughts went to Rider being the culprit but that wouldn't explain what happened this morning. Arturia's second guess would be Caster but they have not encountered Caster yet. Unless Caster figured out it was Hakuno, she shouldn't know who used Old Magic against Berserker. She looked back at Hakuno who, while looked a bit better now, was still scared by whatever the person talking to her had said. After they got the last glass filled, Hakuno and Arturia made their way into the living room. 

 

Rin look as she saw Hakuno and Arturia walk in with drinks for them. While Arturia was gone to check on Hakuno, Rin had found a journal with a weird lock that she couldn't get open or unlocked. She even got Shirou to try but to no avail. So, the first thing she did when she saw them held up the book.

"Hakuno, is this the book you were talking about?"

Hakuno walked over giving Rin one of the cups she was holding as she took the book.

"Yep, this one is the one with the magic lock I managed to get open."

Rin looked a bit surprised. The lock gave both her and Shirou a bit of a shock but they didn't think it was magic. Whoever made it seem to have been smart. After Arturia gave Shirou his drink and walked over to Hakuno, Hakuno tapped the lock as the lock began to glow blue then green before sliding off what it had been locked onto. Hakuno quickly showed them the book as Rin and Shirou saw Latin writing. Arturia looked a bit surprised as she looked through. Hakuno looked at Arturia before offering the book to her.

"So, Saber can you read it?"

"Yes, this writing is from my time."

Arturia took the book as she sat down and Hakuno sat next to her. Shirou and Rin both took seats around the table as Arturia began to read the pages.


	14. Chapter 14

Arturia read aloud as she read through the first page of the diary. The way it was written had the impression it was that. The first page itself wasn't that interesting except for the person who wrote it. When she got to the one who wrote it she knew who it belongs to and what is likely inside the pages.

"Morgan Le Fay."

Shirou and Rin both looked surprised as Arturia said that name. Hakuno simply looked at the book as she already knew this was likely the case thanks to their conversation at the Church. Shirou was the one to basically ask for a confirmation. Rin, on the other hand, looked shocked as she pieced together what this could mean.

"So, Hakuno is a descendant of Morgan Le Fay?" 

"Hakuno, if that's true, your family could possibly be one of the oldest families that exist. The Einzberns date back 1000 years but your family would almost be 1500 years old."

Arturia wasn't sure what Rin was getting at but it would make sense. However, there was one issue and Hakuno brought it up.

"The problem is, Morgan didn't have any surviving children after the Battle of Camlann. Mordred was the only known one and he died along with King Arthur."

Hakuno wasn't wrong. As far as Arturia knew, Mordred was Morgan's only kid. Unless there were more that Arturia never knew about. Rin went to think as Arturia continue to read the pages of the diary. The first few entries had been nice normal diary stuff but then came entries where Morgan wrote about her hatred for Arturia. How Arturia, despite herself being the older one and of the same status, was the loved one amongst their father. Morgan wrote how she would spend the rest of her life ensuring to ruin Arturia.

Arturia didn't know how to feel. Morgan had caused Arturia so much trouble in her life but now Arturia understood her sister's rage and hatred for her. She kept reading as she read about Morgan's first trap for Arturia that caused her to lose Caliburn. Arturia remembered that day. She would eventually get Excalibur and Avalon but to think her sister was the one who caused her to lose her sword. Morgan mentioned she would go into hiding once Camelot was built but had plans to bring down Arturia and Camelot.

Then came a realization that shocked Arturia. Morgan wrote about her plans and mentioned Agravain was not only her son but also sent to Camelot as an assassin to serve as a knight. Hakuno looked shocked for a moment as Arturia said that.

"S-so Sir Agravain was Morgan's son? Is that why he revealed the affair between Lancelot and Guinevere?"

Arturia wasn't sure. Agravain was remarked by the other knights as the one that helped kept the Round Table together. She trusted him yet to find out he was working for Morgan as well as her son. Arturia didn't know what to think of the man anymore. She looked down at the diary. She didn't believe it could get any worst. If only she knew how wrong she was.

The diary reached the point of where Mordred was born or, as she should say, created. Arturia was surprised to find out Mordred was a homunculus clone. Mordred had been raised in secret and was made to overthrow Arturia. Morgan noted how Mordred had enjoyed being a knight only for her to shatter Mordred innocence soon after Arturia had turned her back on Mordred. Mordred wasn't even the one who Arturia fought during the Battle of Camlann. Morgan noted how Mordred was still weak minded from her time as a knight so Morgan possessed Mordred for the Battle. 

The diary entry ended after that as the entire room was silent. They all must have found this shocking but to Arturia, this shattered what she had known. Before anyone could ask, Arturia stood up and left the room as she headed for the spare bedroom Hakuno had left alone. She needed time alone to process everything she had just read. 

 

Hakuno watched Arturia get up and leave. She didn't stop her as she knew Arturia needed time to understand what she just found out. She looked at both Rin and Shirou who are coming out from their shocks as Rin was the first to speak.

"So...the Legends of King Arthur doesn't seem to line up with what we just read."

Hakuno found what Rin said odd. Sure, there were details missing but everything seems to have added up.

"I don't think they don't line up. I think certain information had been changed or was lost between the time of those tales and when the tales were actually written."

 "Ok but why? Why would someone want to do that?" 

Hakuno wasn't sure. She looked at the documents as well as the diary when she noticed something. She turned a few pages to find a new set of entries written by someone else. 

"Guys, there are more entries. Someone wrote in this after Morgan's last entry."

Shirou and Rin looked as Hakuno showed them the diary. They both looked a bit surprised but Shirou seems responsive about it. 

"Should we get Saber to read more of it? I mean, she didn't look too great after reading the previous diary entries."

"Yeah, she looked like she had been somehow involved in all of that. Do you think she is possibly one of the Knights of the Roundtable Shirou?"

Hakuno just looked at them with a blank face. Really? They still hadn't figured it out yet. Arturia had to feed her a bit of info but Hakuno was able to put two and two together. Then again, she was raised on the Legends of King Arthur. Shirou and Rin likely only know common things. She looked at the time and noticed it was around 7 pm.

"I can go talk to her if you and Shirou want to make dinner. I should have plenty of stuff in the fridge for something."

"I could go for dinner. Plus a break from sitting and listening."

"Just watched out in case I missed a shard of glass. I'm pretty sure I got them all but you can never be too sure.

Rin got up and headed for the kitchen as Shirou followed soon after and Hakuno went to the bedroom door Arturia had gone to as she stood in front of it. It was her parent's bedroom. She felt a bit nervous about walking in but those nerves were interrupted as she heard the "ghost" voice in her head.

"What's wrong? Scared of walking in to find Arturia dead or dying? Afraid of losing another parent figure?"

Hakuno was really starting to get frustrated with this "ghost". What was it's deal with Arturia? Hakuno just shook her head as she quietly opened the door as she walked in as the "ghost" laugh echoed through her head. 


	15. Chapter 15

Hakuno entered her parent's old bedroom. It was well kept despite no one staying in the room. Once in a while, she would come in and dust the place but she never really messed with anything her parents had in the room after her mother passed. She didn't know why she couldn't or felt like she shouldn't. Maybe it was just her way of being respectful towards them after everything they did for her. Regardless of the reason, the room was kept in a nice state as she saw Arturia sitting on the bed as she stared at the floor. Hakuno closed the door before saying her name.

"Arturia?"

Arturia looked up as she noticed Hakuno with a concerned look on her face. She must be worried about what Arturia had found out.

"I'm alright Hakuno. Just a bit shocked from everything Morgan had written down."

"I understand what you are going through or, at least, I have an idea. Thinking you know the truth about your life only for new information to come up and change everything you know."

Arturia couldn't help but smile at that comment. Hakuno and herself were going through the same thing. Finding out things they never knew about and actions committed by people that caused their lives to be the way they were. Hakuno sat down next to Arturia as she noticed Hakuno still had the diary. Hakuno should know better than anyone there shouldn't be anything left in the diary since the last time Morgan wrote was right before the Battle of Camlann. So why bring the diary with her unless she still had questions?

"Arturia, we found out someone else had written in the diary after you left the living room."

Hakuno opened the diary as Arturia looked and noticed that someone else had written in it. It was different handwriting than her sister. Did someone else get the diary and write in it?

"I know I shouldn't ask you to read anymore considering what happened when you read through all the entries with Morgan. If you don't wish too I understand."

Arturia didn't need a moment to think. She grabbed Hakuno as she put her in her lap before taking the diary and opening to the page Hakuno had kept marked with her finger.

"I told you Hakuno, I'm fine. In fact, I'm glad we decided to look into it."

Arturia wasn't lying for Hakuno's sake. She was glad to finally understand why everything went the way it did. Why her sister had grown to hate her so much and why Mordred chose to rebel. Sure, the truth was a bit painful but she would take knowing the truth than continuing to believe what she thought was as her own fault. At least for Mordred, it still was a bit of her fault for not helping her but she felt a bit of that weight had been lifted.

"We don't have to read too much into it. I'm just curious to who wrote it since it doesn't seem to have been Morgan."

Arturia was curious as well. She didn't read much as she skimmed through to find the one who wrote it. Eventually, she came across two names. The first one had been marked out but still readable while the second one has been left untouched.

Alexandra Le Fay

Alexandra Kishinami

Arturia was shocked. Why did this Alexandra person have Morgan's last name as well as Hakuno's last name? It didn't seem to make much sense she wrote her name twice with different last names unless this was to be proof of something. Hakuno, who couldn't read Latin, simply looked at her a bit confused on what she read.

"Is something the matter Arturia?"

"Hakuno, the person who wrote this used both Morgan's last name and your family's name. Do you remember reading anything about a person name Alexandra?"

Hakuno simply shook her head. She's never heard of Alexandra Le Fay in any of the Legends of King Arthur. She did, however, realize that she was likely the one who connected her family to Morgan. Why else would she use two last names? If that was the case, could all that stuff really have been from Arturia's time? She wanted to get Arturia to read it all but she figured she would wait till after dinner to do so. Meanwhile, something had been bothering Hakuno that she wanted to ask Arturia.

"Hey Arturia. You don't seem to like that outfit much do you?"

Arturia looked a bit surprised that Hakuno had noticed her dislike for the outfit. Sure, Rin had gotten it for her but she didn't much enjoy it. Wondering where Hakuno would be going with this, she decided to play along.

"No. While it's a gift from Rin, I do not care much for this outfit."

"Well, I might have an outfit or two in my room you can use. I'm bad when it comes to getting rid of clothes."

Hakuno stood up as she waited for Arturia to follow her before leaving the room and walking down the hall to her room.

 

Arturia had already been in Hakuno's room earlier but she didn't get much of a chance to look at all of her clothes. Now that she did, she understood what Hakuno had meant by being bad at getting rid of old clothes. Her closet was filled with clothes Arturia knew Hakuno likely couldn't wear. She sat on the bed as Hakuno looked through her closet trying to find something for Arturia. She smelled something cooking as they were walking between rooms and Hakuno mentioned she had gotten Rin and Shirou to make dinner so they should try and be quick about finding Arturia something. 

After about 5 minutes, Hakuno found something as she pulled it out of her closet and showed it to Arturia. It was a white dress with blue lining along the shoulders and neck area and a blue bow behind it. Arturia couldn't help but imagine Hakuno wearing it when she was younger. Of course, that made Arturia feel a bit bad for taking. She wanted to make sure Hakuno was ok with it.

"Hakuno, are you sure you're ok with me wearing that?"

"Yep. I can't fit into it anymore and I just never got around to getting rid of it. If we can't find you anything from my outfits, we can always just go shopping tomorrow."

Arturia thought it would be a nice idea for her and Hakuno to go out and simply talk. Hakuno likely never got much of a chance to do things like that. She got up as Hakuno helped Arturia get the dress on and kept Arturia's eyes covered until they were in front of a mirror. She felt a bit embarrassed by Hakuno trying to surprise her with how she looked but couldn't help but enjoy it as well. Hakuno removed her hands from Arturia's eyes as Arturia looked at herself in the mirror. She could see Hakuno smile as she seems to think it looked nice on her but after a brief moment, Hakuno looked away. 

"Hakuno?"

"Sorry just...saw someone else for a moment."

Arturia turned around and hugged Hakuno. She was sure she understood what Hakuno meant. Arturia, even for a brief moment, reminded Hakuno of her mother. She wouldn't have reacted if she hated the dress or didn't think it looked good on her. Now that Arturia knew for sure that they were related, she felt better about asking Hakuno.

"Hakuno, I know this may be a bit odd to hear but how would you like it if I treated you like you were my daughter?"

Hakuno looked at her with a shocked expression. Arturia knew she was asking a lot but, after learning about Hakuno and how she had to grow up without her mother, she wanted to help Hakuno heal. She knew Rin and Shirou would also understand. After a few minutes of silence, Arturia responded to what she had said.

"You don't need to answer right now. Just think about it is all I ask."

Hakuno simply nodded as they heard Rin and Shirou calling for them. Hakuno got up as she left the room leaving Arturia alone. She stared back at the family picture Hakuno had in her room and smiled.

"I may not know your opinion of me but I'll take care of her. She won't be alone anymore."

She followed Hakuno soon afterward as the smell of food caused her mind to not think about anything else.


	16. Chapter 16

Rin, Hakuno, Shirou, and Arturia all sat down and ate dinner. Shirou and Rin were initially shocked to see Arturia in her new outfit and Hakuno had to explain to them that it was one of the old ones she had and gave to Arturia. They both nodded as they ate. Arturia was curious to see if either one had figured out who she was. So, she took a moment to stop eating and asked the two.

"So, have either one of you managed to figure out who I am?"

Rin and Shirou both looked at each other before looking back at Arturia. Shirou was the one to give her their best guess.

"Well, the only thing we can think of is that you were a knight during King Arthur's times but we don't know exactly who as there aren't many if any, notable female knights."

Arturia quietly sighed. She had a feeling the two wouldn't be able to figure it. They were smart in their own right but her Legend had been construed so it would be hard for people to understand who she was. It was a miracle Hakuno was able to piece together who she was, even if she did have to confirm it for Hakuno. Speaking of Hakuno, as Arturia was about to go back to eating as she saw Hakuno staring at the two in disbelief. Arturia couldn't help but let out a small laugh. To Hakuno, Rin and Shirou must have been crazy to not figure it out despite everything they had seen and heard.

"Really? Despite seeing her reaction and hearing her tone from reading about Morgan, Sir Agravain, and Sir Mordred, you two still can't figure it out?" 

Rin and Shirou both looked at her a bit surprised. Rin being the one to comment.

"Hakuno, you sound like you already know who she is."

"That's because I do, Rin. Maybe it's because of the dreams I had that night as well as her mentioning Morgan to me and her relationship with her that I was able to figure it out."

They both looked shocked. Arturia wasn't sure if Hakuno telling them this was a good idea but Rin seems to comment about it.

"Wait so, she told you about her identity before telling Shirou? That's a bit rude as well as dangerous. Telling some mage your True Name before telling your master."

Shirou tried to calm the situation. He likely wasn't as upset about it.

"Saber probably had her reasons to do so. She doesn't seem like she is against us."

Before an argument could break out between the three of them, Arturia decided it was best to tell them her true name and try to defuse the situation.

"My true name is Arturia Pendragon. Though, I imagine you would know me as King Arthur."

That got Shirou and Rin to go silent. Arturia could imagine their brains processing the reality that King Arthur was a girl before processing the rest of the info as the two both looked at Hakuno and back to Arturia as they realized that they were related. It took them a few minutes to process everything and, once they had done so, Rin was the one to talk

"So let me see if I got this right: You're King Arthur and that would make Hakuno your great, how many times, grandniece?"

"Yes. Though we did find out there was another child of Morgan who seems to be the one who started the Kishinami clan."

Another bombshell for both Rin and Shirou as Hakuno brought out the book and showed them the page they had found both of Alexandra's names. 

"She went by her first name both times but her last name changes. The one that had a line through it reads 'Alexandra Le Fay' and the second one below it reads 'Alexandra Kishinami'." 

"Ok, is there any more surprises you two have for us? I feel like we both might get our minds blown if you keep up with these revelations at this rate."

Arturia smirked. There was one more thing and, if Arturia brought it up, Hakuno would likely have to talk about it. Plus, Hakuno did promise Arturia that she would tell them once they had learned the truth and, technically, they had. So Arturia was making sure Hakuno kept her promise as well as get a bit of payback for spilling the truth.

"Well, there is one thing Hakuno needs to tell us. Isn't that right Hakuno?"

Hakuno looked at Arturia as she saw her smile. Hakuno knew this was her getting revenge on Hakuno as she sighed

"Fine. I did promise you that I would tell you after we learned the truth."

Hakuno looked at the three of them as Arturia simply patted Hakuno on the head. Hakuno felt even more awkward for having to say this but there was no escaping it now.

"Well, for almost the past 10 years, ever since my mom died, I've been seeing this 'ghost'." 

Arturia wasn't expecting that. Rin and Shirou both looked a bit confused as well as Hakuno proceeded to tell them more.

"Up until this morning, she would just appear, causing my vision to get cloudy as she just stands nearby looking at me before disappearing. Except, now she is talking to me and...making threats.

Rin looked like she was going to ask but Hakuno's face made it clear she didn't want to repeat anything that had been said. Whoever this 'ghost' was, she had been getting inside Hakuno's head and trying to manipulate and force her to do things. The issue was, if the 'ghost' had been around for almost 10 years, then it couldn't be a servant trying to mess with Hakuno. That was good, meaning the Caster servant hadn't found out about her and Rider's master wasn't pulling any tricks. However, who was it that was causing Hakuno all this trouble? Arturia needed to know.

"Hakuno, what does this 'ghost' look like?"

Hakuno looked at Arturia.

"Hard to say since she has a black veil covering her face but she had blonde hair, a black crown with the points decorative blue and a black dress with blue patterns. She also has these weird markings or tattoos on her chest and abdomen."

Arturia just sat there in pure silence. The woman Hakuno had described. It couldn't have been...

But it would make sense. Hakuno's family connection, her abnormal mana circuits despite being a distant descendant, her seemingly getting violent with Hakuno since Arturia appeared, it would only make sense if it was her. Hakuno, Rin, and Shirou all stared at her as they saw her starting to get pale. She was scared. Not for herself, but for Hakuno. Her mind harkened back to what she found out about Mordred. Morgan could have been planning the same thing to Hakuno. She wouldn't let that happen. Hakuno tried to ask what was wrong.

"Arturia? Do you know wh-"

Arturia didn't let her finish as she brought Hakuno into her arms and covered her ears momentarily so she did not hear what she said as she looked at Shirou and Rin.

"You two must not tell her. If she finds out, she'll likely start getting worried and try to separate herself from us."

Shirou looked surprised at Arturia for what she just said.

"Why? Who's the 'ghost' Hakuno is talking about?"

"Shirou, the 'ghost' is my sister. Hakuno has been seeing and talking to Morgan for almost a decade."

The two looked shocked as they both looked at each other before looking back at Arturia and nodding. Arturia was glad they both knew Hakuno well enough to understand why she needed to be kept in the dark about this, at least during the war. If Hakuno runs away while the war is going on, she could get captured and used as a mana source by one of the Masters. Shirou and Rin could tell her the truth once the war was over. Maybe, once Arturia was gone, Morgan would go back to being the state she was for almost a decade. Morgan might even be only acting like this because Arturia is close to Hakuno. Once things had calmed down, Arturia released Hakuno as she looked at them.

"What was that for?" 

Arturia answered as she should be the one to tell Hakuno the lie considering this was her idea.

"We needed to discuss something in private. As for the 'ghost', I don't know who she is."

Hakuno looked suspicious at her before sighing and accepting whatever the thing they talked about was something she would only hear later on or she would never hear about it period.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay but here is the newest chapter. Hopefully, now that I have a solid idea of the story thanks to Bloodriver, I can get these out more frequently. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter.

The 4 of them had finished eating, mostly in silent as Hakuno took the plates to the kitchen and started washing them. Rin and Shirou offered to help but Hakuno declined. Considering how nice Shirou and Rin had been to her, this was the least she could for them. Though, trying to repay them was only half of the reason. The other half was she couldn't understand why they weren't telling her what had been discussed. Arturia had gone pale at the moment she described the 'ghost', almost as if Arturia knew who it was. If that was the case, why weren't they telling her? She thought of possibility but a certain voice echoed in her mind with one possibility.

"Arturia didn't trust her people or her knights with the truth about herself. You expect her to be honest with you?"

She wanted to tell the 'ghost' that she was wrong. That Arturia could be trusted and wouldn't do something like that. That's what she wanted to say but she couldn't bring herself to say it. Maybe because the 'ghost' wasn't wrong on this one. It wasn't truly right, Arturia had to keep her gender a secret so she could rule but look where that ended up leading to. The 'ghost' spoke once more.

"Arturia cannot be trusted and, if Shirou and Rin are keeping their mouths closed about this as well, wouldn't you say they can't be trusted either?"

Hakuno didn't understand why but she felt like the 'ghost' was right. Keyword being felt. Hakuno knew that Rin, Shirou, and Arturia had a reason for keeping her in the dark but she felt her feelings betraying her mind. She felt hate for them for keeping her in the dark. For being rude to Rider about what she did even though it didn't bother. Hakuno quickly splashed some water on her face to wake herself up. Fortunately, it worked as the voice seems to go away and found herself able to compose herself. Hakuno tried to simply put whatever had just happened into the back of her mind as she finished cleaning the plates and headed to the living room where Shirou, Rin, and Arturia had been waiting for her.

Arturia was had been focused on worrying about Morgan that she didn't notice Hakuno walk in, only noticing as Hakuno sat down next to her. Shirou and Rin, who had been going through the boxes as they waited for Hakuno, looked up. Rin had mentioned she wanted to ask Hakuno something once she came back and before Arturia started reading from the diary again. Without delay, Rin proceeded to ask.

"Hakuno, wasn't your family against the Grail War? I'm not sure why but I remember hearing something about it." 

"I'm not sure but, if they were, it would make sense considering our connection to Arturia. My mom and everyone else must have believed Sir Galahad returned the real Holy Grail to Heaven so anything calling itself the Holy Grail would have been considered a lie or false grail."

Arturia couldn't argue with Hakuno's logic. If her family truly believe the stories were real or, at least, had some capacity of being real, they would consider the Grail War an affront to the world itself. 

"Well, guess that explains why no Kishinami tried joining the war. I mean, your family had the resources and relics to enter one so I wouldn't see any other reason they wouldn't. At least the Harweys aren't in this way either."

Shirou seems to pick up on the name Harwey as he spoke up.

"Harweys? You mention them earlier when we were leaving school." 

Hakuno looked as curious as she was as they both looked at Rin.

"I imagine you and Arturia are going to not enjoy hearing this but they're an up and coming mage family who say they will surpass King Arthur and his knights."

Arturia looked a bit confused after Rin had spoken that but Hakuno, after the initial shock, had the look of disdain. 

"Surpass Arturia and the Knights of The Roundtable? If that doesn't sound a bit arrogant, I don't know what does."

Shirou and Rin seemed a bit surprised by how aggressive Hakuno had turned. Arturia was worried it was a side effect of Morgan but Hakuno's words felt like her own.

"You aren't the only one who isn't too keen about their idea. From what I've found out, several older Mage families are suspicious of them. They sound way too proud and fanatical of you Arturia."

Arturia couldn't help but feel the same. From Rin's description, they sound like they were only using her and her knights' legends to make themselves look good. They didn't know what truly happened nor do they sound like the type of people to be humble. Any country they would rule would only end in misery. Hakuno sighed as she looked at Arturia.

"Let's just not think about them for now. If they aren't in the war, no sense in worrying about them. Shall we go ahead and read what Alexandra wrote?"

Arturia nodded as she began to read aloud what Alexandra had written.

This entry of hers was long but seem to be a summary of her life. Alexandra was the eldest child of Morgan and inherited her mother's magic circuits. Morgan tried to mold her into helping with her revenge against Arturia and but she refused and ended up leaving Morgan at a fairly young age. She did learn some of Morgan's spells, one being able to keep watch of Morgan as well as her siblings. Arturia was surprised when she mentioned Gawain, Gareth, and Gaheris were also her siblings and children of Morgan who left Morgan as she did. Gawain had never brought up his relationship with her sister. Arturia was starting to wonder how she let all this information slip by her when it was all about her knights.

She mentioned all her travels to other kingdoms, that her mother was trying to persuade to attack Camelot, and calming the tensions between kingdoms. She even mentioned her pity and sadness for Mordred's life and her hatred towards Morgan for doing what she did to Mordred. Then came the Battle of Camlann. She wrote how she wanted to try and stop the war only to arrive too late and find her youngest sister and younger brother dead amongst the other knights. She freed Mordred from her possession so she could die without Morgan interfering with her death. The entry ends with her saying how she has gathered any important relics, documents, and books before destroying everything else, stating that she doesn't want the world to know what happened. She intends to hide the stuff amongst her family and pass it down each generation until one generation can go through and make a half-true legend of Arturia to preserve her honor. Her last thing mentions how she is no longer Alexandra Le Fay and is Alexandra Kishinami.

Hakuno couldn't help but smile from knowing the truth about her family. Why they had all this stuff from Arturia's time. Why her mother had been so fond of telling her the Legends of King Arthur. When Arturia had read out the part of Alexandra being at the Battle of Camlann during the aftermath, her mind flashed back to the dream she had the previous night after she blacked out from the fight with Berserker. The woman in the cloak was Alexandra. By the time Arturia was finished reading all of it, Hakuno understood many questions she had had but she still had some but Hakuno didn't get a chance to think about it as Arturia, after setting the book on the table, hugged Hakuno, catching her as well as Shirou and Rin off guard.

"A-Arturia? What's wrong?"

"Thank you Hakuno. I owe your family so much."

Hakuno didn't understand what Arturia was saying, she didn't owe her or her family anything. They likely did what they did because Arturia was family. Rin was the one to break up the moment by stating the obvious.

"Sorry to cut the moment short but it's pretty late."

Arturia stopped hugging Hakuno as Hakuno looked at Shirou and Rin. They probably didn't expect to find out her family secret to take so long. Hakuno sighed a bit tired as she got up.

"Right, I'll see you guys out before I head off to bed."

The three of them looked at Hakuno with weirds looks at what she said. She simply looked back at them confused before Shirou spoke up.

"You don't intend to stay by yourself despite everything that has happened?" 

Before she could even respond, Rin spoke up and dropped any plans Hakuno might have had.

"No definitely not an option. There are probably Masters that could come after you if we don't protect you. So go pack a bag because, until this war is over, you're not staying here by yourself."

Hakuno just looked at the two shocked at what they just said before Rin grabs Hakuno's hand and dragging her into her bedroom leaving Arturia and Shirou alone before Shirou turned to her.

"I imagine you wouldn't want to leave Hakuno alone either. Not just because Masters might come after her."

Arturia just nodded. She needed to protect Hakuno from Morgan without Hakuno learning the truth. It would be hard but it's the best option she had. She was glad Shirou had taken her being close to Hakuno well and not view it as a betrayal. About 30 minutes later Rin and Hakuno came from Hakuno's bedroom with Hakuno carrying a bag with her. 

"Ok, we're set." 

Hakuno looked a bit embarrassed which Arturia couldn't help but smile at. They all got up and left Hakuno's house before proceeding back to Shirou's house as they all got ready for bed, Rin offering to stay to make sure Hakuno stayed safe as well. Hakuno found her room and Arturia had made the offer to sleep with her. Hakuno looked like she was going to refuse but, likely realizing Arturia would likely come sleep with her after she had fallen asleep, agreed as Hakuno got ready for bed. Before long, Hakuno was asleep in Arturia's arms as she simply smiled at the girl she has come to view as her daughter. Arturia muttered something to herself.

"She might be of your blood, Morgan but she's my daughter. Whatever you have planned with her, I'll end it." 

Rider had made her way back to her Master, or rather Masters, after her talk with Hakuno in the forest. She followed them as they walked home, wanting not to let Shinji, her acting Master, know about Hakuno. He would do terrible things to her if he found out. She waited a few hours for Sakura to be alone before she appeared in front of her. Sakura looked up relieved to see her.

"Rider, there you are. I was worried something happened. Did you talk to Hakuno?"

"Yes, and it's exactly as you believed. She's the one who used Old Magic against Berserker."

Sakura sighed as Rider could tell Sakura was worried for Hakuno. Someone with Old Magic would be seen as very important, regardless of if they were a Master or not. It's why they had agreed to keep Shinji in the dark about her. Though, there was another issue. Sakura had spoken about how she feels a 4th Master at the school. She couldn't figure out who it was but she knew there was one more Master at the school. If it wasn't Hakuno, then it was likely someone who would try and get Hakuno, once they had found out about her powers. Sakura looked back at Rider.

"Rider, while school is out for the next few days, can you set up your field at the school? If they do go after Hakuno at the school, we could use it to deal with the Master. Though, I imagine I would have to reveal the truth afterward to Shirou and Rin."

"Ahh, about them...the meeting went fine but it was without a few hiccups."

Sakura just looked at her.

"What happened?"

"Shirou and Rin ended up trying to attack me but Hakuno got them to calm down."

"Ok, then what's the issue?"

"Well, to confirm that Hakuno had Old Magic, I may have had to kiss her in front of Rin and Shirou."

Sakura's face went red from hearing what Rider had said. Rider felt a little embarrassed herself for saying it but Sakura deserved to know what she did.

"R-Rider! How could you do that to Hakuno? She probably hates you now."

"It's quite the opposite. She doesn't seem to know the meaning of what I did or why Rin and Shirou were so upset at me for. If I had to take a guess, she was never taught what was love was."

Sakura looked a bit shocked. She knew Shirou was bad but at least he had some concept of what love was. Hakuno was completely oblivious to what Rider did? She shoved the thought to the back of her mind. If that was truly the case, Sakura would help Hakuno learn after the war was over and Hakuno could have some peace. She knew Rin and Shirou could keep her safe but Sakura didn't want to leave it at that. The two of them have gotten close since school had started and she didn't want to lose Hakuno because of what Hakuno could do. Rider went into spirit form as Sakura was left alone. They just needed to deal with the last Master at the school, then Sakura could tell them everything.


	18. Chapter 18

The following morning, after breakfast and having to lie to Taiga about Hakuno's house undergoing massive renovations, Hakuno and Arturia got ready to go shopping for some clothes for Arturia. Arturia still felt a bit odd about going clothes shopping but Hakuno promised she wouldn't force Arturia to try anything weird on. Shirou and Rin overheard them and had mentioned to Hakuno that Arturia didn't need many clothes considering she was a servant. Hakuno retorted.

"She's still a person. Plus, after seeing what you got her, I kinda feel like I should make sure she gets stuff she is comfortable with as you don't seem to have the greatest of tastes Rin."

Rin face turned red as she tried to make some kind of comeback only to fall short as they all laughed. Once things had calmed down and they reassured Shirou and Rin that if Hakuno sensed another servant, they'd not engage and call to let them know, Hakuno and Arturia headed off to the city.

 

Hakuno made sure that they weren't any servants around once they had gotten there. As far as she could tell, there wasn't anyone else around except for them as they walked along the sidewalk. She didn't really know what to talk about as they walked. There was still the question Arturia asked about viewing her as her mother but Hakuno wasn't sure whether to go with it or not. Even if she did go with it, Arturia would just disappear once the war was over and that's the best case scenario. Worst case scenario, Arturia could die in the next fight she was in. Was it really a smart idea for Hakuno to open that wound back up, hoping to heal it, only for salt to be poured in it instead.

Seemingly noticing Hakuno's distress, Arturia brought up a different conversation.

"So, what are you're thoughts about Rider?"

"Huh?"

Hakuno took a moment to think about it as well as made sure nobody was listening before replying.

"Well, she doesn't seem bad. She made a threat but it was more of a bluff than an actual threat. That was about everything she did. All she wanted was to know if I was the one with old magic and I said yes because she seems to already know I had it but wanted to confirm it. Which means her Master would also likely know yet they didn't order Rider to capture or kill me so it's hard to say what their plan is.

"And what about when Rider kissed you?"

Hakuno groaned internally. They were never going to let it go of what happened. Hakuno thought maybe telling Arturia her feelings at the time would get this question to stop.

"I don't know what I felt. It didn't seem like Rider was doing it out of malice or was trying to do anything to me. All it really did was give me weird feelings about her but it's about the same feelings I have whenever I'm near Rin or Shirou."

Arturia stopped as she finished that sentence as Hakuno looked back at her.

"What? Did I say something wrong?"

"No, it's nothing. I suppose you want to keep those weird feelings you had about Rin and Shirou a secret right?"

"I would have told them if I wanted them to know. No real reason to say anything since I don't even know what the feeling even means. Anyways we're almost there."

Hakuno went back to walking as Arturia took a moment before catching up. She wasn't sure why Arturia acted so weird to what she said. She didn't think she said anything offensive or wrong so she didn't know why Arturia had been taken aback by what she said. Regardless, they made their way into the store Hakuno usually goes to as they began to search around for clothes Arturia could wear. Most of the clothes they looked through didn't look good on Arturia. Hakuno had started to give up on finding anything until she came across an outfit with a scarf and a hat. Arturia took notice that Hakuno found something.

"What did you find Hakuno?" 

Hakuno showed Arturia the outfit she had found.

"Not sure if you would like it or not. Seems a bit-."

Before she could finish her sentence Arturia grabbed the outfit with one hand and Hakuno with the other before dragging her to the changing rooms as Arturia went into change, leaving Hakuno standing there speechless from how fast Arturia had reacted to the outfit. After a few minutes of waiting, Arturia walked out dressed in it shocking Hakuno once more.

"Ok, I take back what I almost said. That looks good on you." 

"I like it. It also makes me look like I'm just a normal girl." 

Arturia wasn't wrong. She looked like a normal person wearing that outfit. It would be a nice outfit to wear if they go out into the public. Probably would cause Masters to not think twice about her.

"I believe this will do nicely to wear most of the time. The dress you gave me is nice but feels like a more at home/sleeping dress."

"True. Did you see anything else you want to get or you think that's good enough?"

Arturia was about to head back inside the changing room to change back before thinking and remembering something.

"There was this one formal looking dress I was looking at before you called me over for this one. It's blue and black with a flower embedded into the side."

Hakuno nodded as she went to go grab it as Arturia waited in the changing room. It wasn't hard to find as she grabbed it and made her way back. She handed it to Arturia as she changed into it and showed Hakuno.

"Yep, definitely something nice to have in case we decide to go out for dinner or something."

Arturia seems to have been enjoying the trip as she changed back into the dress Hakuno gave her as she came back out with the outfits.

"Well, I believe this is good enough. Shall we get going?

Hakuno nodded as she went and paid for the two outfits before meeting Arturia outside. Hakuno had thought they would head back to Shirou's house but Arturia took her hand and started walking, causing Hakuno to be confused.

"H-huh? Arturia this is the wrong way. You know that right?"

"We aren't going back yet. I wanted to talk to you more."

Arturia lead Hakuno into the park that was nearby as Hakuno wondered what Arturia wanted to talk about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had planned for more but, after thinking about it, I've decided to split it into two chapters as it would cause this chapter to be long and I usually like making the long chapters important chapters. 
> 
> Also, the outfits are meant to be the Mysterious Heroine and Lapis Lazuli Dress from Fate Extella. Thanks to Bloodriver, once again, for the idea.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed the chapter regardless.


	19. Chapter 19

Hakuno was waiting for Arturia to get back with ice cream as she sat on the bench looking around the park. She was still a bit curious about why Arturia had acted the way she did when she had mentioned the weird feeling she got for Rider, Shirou, and Rin. She was debating whether or not to ask her as Arturia came back with two cones of ice creams as she handed Hakuno one.

"Thanks."

"You should have said something when we first entered the park. I would have stopped so we could get these."

Hakuno couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed. Arturia had not been paying attention as they were walking into the park and had missed the ice cream shop. They were in the middle of casual talk when Hakuno's sweet tooth got the better of her and she asked Arturia to go get them ice cream. Hakuno started eating her ice cream as Arturia sat down next to her.

"So, what did you do for the past 10 years? You said you didn't go out and do much right?"

"Yeah. I had people to make sure I was taken care of but I mostly spent my time alone at home. I didn't really go on many trips or do things normal kids did because of whatever surgery was done on me."

Arturia looked a bit sorry for Hakuno but it wasn't like she was that bothered by not getting to do that kind of stuff. Still, Arturia gave Hakuno a hug and Hakuno couldn't help but smile as she finally decided on her answer.

"Hey, Arturia? About what you asked yesterday, I'd like if you treated me like your daughter. Maybe some time like that would help me move on."

Arturia looked surprised for a moment before smiling. She didn't say anything else as they went back to eating their ice cream. Once they were finished, they headed back to Shirou's house as Hakuno couldn't help but smile only for that smile to be ruined by the 'ghost' making a remark.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

Hakuno didn't even know what that meant. Luckily, her attention got focus away from those words as Arturia brought up a good question.

"You said you had surgery done when you were little right? Do you think that whatever records for that would be up in your attic?"

Hakuno thought about it. She didn't really look around too much when she initially went up there but it could be possible that her mom had put the records somewhere no one would think to look. Plus, if Archer's comment was true, whatever surgery she had done would likely have to do with her abnormal magic circuits. 

"It's worth checking. We can run by there before we head back to Shirou's place."

Arturia nodded as Hakuno pulled out her phone and called Shirou and Rin to let them know, in case they end up running a bit late, as they headed to Hakuno's house.

 

Once they were at Hakuno's house, Arturia followed Hakuno into the attic and was surprised to see how big it was. The ceiling was large enough to where you could walk around and it seems to have been kept nice. Hakuno pointed to an area and mentioned how that was where she found the 3 boxes of relics, books, and documents that were downstairs. They search around seeing if there was any folders or any documents that were related to Hakuno's surgery.

After a few minutes of searching, Arturia came across a file that looked like it had medical records inside. She looked over to Hakuno.

"Hakuno, I think I found it." 

Hakuno looked at her and came over as she looked at it.

"Seems like a medical file."

Hakuno opened it up as there was a bunch of medical notes as well as a note that look different than the rest. Hakuno looked like she wanted to read it but ended up closing the file. Arturia was a bit curious.

"Hakuno? Is everything alright?"

"This looks like the records. Come on, let's head back."

"Don't you want to look at it?"

Hakuno went silent for a moment as Arturia could tell something was wrong but Hakuno tried to act cheer.

"I can wait a bit. I doubt it's anything too important."

Hakuno took the file downstairs as Arturia followed her. She knew Hakuno was bothered by something. She didn't think it was Morgan as Hakuno hasn't seemed to have seen her all day. So why as Hakuno so afraid to get answers? She didn't look scared when they had read Morgan's journal. Arturia was left to ponder as they walked back to Shirou's place. Arturia thought of something to take Hakuno's mind off whatever was bothering her as she felt like she should try and help Hakuno with figuring out what love was.

"You said you had weird feelings for Rin and Shirou right?"

Hakuno nodded as she looked at Arturia a bit curious at where she was going with it.

"Mind describing those feelings?" 

Hakuno blushed a little as she tried to respond but she seems she can't really describe how she feels as Arturia couldn't help but giggle.

"Don't worry, I'm sure you'll figure it out within time."

Hakuno just nods as they ended up getting back to the Shirou house.

 

Hakuno wasn't sure how she felt about Rin or Shirou. She liked them and they were kind to her but she wasn't sure it was just that. She felt something else for them but she didn't know how to describe it. She thought about what Arturia as said as they got back to Shirou's house. As they walked in, they noticed Shirou was a bit bandaged up as she looked a bit confused at Rin and Shirou.

"What happened?"

Rin sighed as she took notice of them having gotten backed.

"Shirou and Archer took sparing a bit too seriously." 

"It wasn't that bad Rin."

"Archer kicked you in the gut. Multiple times."

Shirou sighed as he looked over to Hakuno for help only to notice a file she had in her hand. Arturia had left the room to put away the outfits Hakuno got leaving only the 3 of them.

"What's that Hakuno?"

Hakuno sat down as she put the file on the table.

"The records about my surgery. Mom had left it in the attic and Arturia has suspected that, if she left the boxes up there, it might also have been up there as well."

Rin and Shirou both looked at it curiously. Rin, however, picked up on the point that Hakuno hadn't read it yet.

"Wait, haven't you read it yet?" 

Hakuno shakes her head as Shirou and Rin looked a bit shock. Shirou was the one to ask.

"Why not? Don't you want to know why this surgery caused you to be sheltered for most of your life?"

Hakuo remained silence as the two looked at Hakuno before Hakuno spoke.

"You ever had the feeling that the answer you want might not be good? That's kinda what I feel when I was looking at the file."

Hakuno didn't know why she was getting that feeling but she was. She felt like whatever was in those records weren't going to make her happy. Rin patted her shoulder and smiled at her.

"It's better than not knowing right? Whatever is in there, we're here for you Hakuno."

Hakuno nodded, her feelings were a mess, for some reason, from what Rin said. Whatever was in the records, she hoped wouldn't be as bad as she was feeling. As she opened the files, she soon learned that she was wrong. What the records hold, was much worst than she had thought of. 


	20. Chapter 20

Hakuno starting looking through the records. Apparently, she was fairly young, around 3, when the surgery had taken place. There was a bit of info from the record that seems to been removed but as she read through, she got the idea of what happened. The Kishinami's had preserved remains of Morgan's magic circuits amongst the relics they had kept and, using an old ritual that Hakuno could only guess was what Archer had mention involving implanting magic circuits into people, they had overridden Hakuno's magic circuits with hers. 

Rin and Shirou looked shocked as they read that. Hakuno didn't have the same reaction thanks to what Archer had said but she never told them about the bit from Archer. Rin looked at her.

"Geez Hakuno. Your family has to be famous. Descendants of a powerful mage as well as being able to give people magic circuits."

Hakuno wasn't sure how to respond to that. Sure they may be descendants of a powerful mage and have such a ritual but her family didn't seem to really care much about fame or power. Still, as she overlooked the medical reports, she couldn't help but feel like something was missing. Maybe it was for the best it was gone. However, the 'ghost' chimed in.

"It seems your mother removed the part where she and your father had to use almost all of their life force to stabilize the magic circuits. She always seems to be lying to you or, rather, "protecting you from the truth." 

Hakuno wanted to retort and tell her she was lying. Of course, she couldn't due to Rin and Shirou likely realizing the 'ghost' was bothering. She didn't want them worrying about her more than they have to. It's bad enough with them needing to protect her because of her magic. The 'ghost' simply laughed as she continued to talk.

"We may not be able to see each other like we use to but I kinda like this method much better. You can't talk back like you can if we were alone. Anyways, they're the reason I'm here. Their attempt to "protect you" resulted in you being put in an even worst situation."

The 'ghost' started to laugh only for her to go silent as Hakuno felt a quick jolt to her magic circuits as she snapped her back to reality as Shirou, Rin, and Arturia, who finished putting her outfits away, stared at her a bit worried as she simply looked back at them confused.

"Is something wr-"

She didn't get to finish asking as Arturia pulled her in her arms and held her there as she blinked a bit confused.

"Hakuno, don't scare us like that again."

Hakuno was getting really confused at this point. It only felt like a moment that she talked to the 'ghost'. Archer, who had been behind her and was the only one noticing Hakuno's confusion, spoke up to explain.

"You spaced out for a solid 5 minutes. They were getting a bit worried so I gave your magic circuits a jolt." 

 

Archer stayed where he was as Rin, Arturia, and Shirou talked to Hakuno, trying to get her to explain what had happened. Archer already knew, if Hakuno was refusing to talk about it, it hadn't been anything good experience. His mind went back to his life and whenever Hakuno had moments like this.

Sure, she had moments where she would space out but they were very rare and never lasted too long. This Hakuno, on the other hand, was even worse than his version when dealing with Morgan. He could only guess to why considering both Rin and Shirou had an interest in Hakuno, this time around, and Arturia is close to Hakuno. Morgan had more ammo to use against Hakuno, which was never a good thing. Archer just groaned internally at his bad luck. 

Rin turned back to him before speaking.

"How did you know that would work?"

"Partner of mine had similar problems. Always worked for them when I did that."

Rin looked at him a bit confused by what he meant by "partner" but he didn't elaborate on it as he headed for the kitchen.

"I'll start preparing dinner while you four talk."

Rin was going to say something but Archer was out of the room by the time she was about to say it. Archer didn't like the idea of playing 20 questions with Rin about what he was talking about. The less she knew, the better. Hakuno, on the other hand, might end up finding out something thanks to what he did. All he could hope for was that, if she ends up seeing anything, it's nothing important that would prompt her to ask.

 

After dinner, Hakuno was getting ready for bed. She had remained quiet during Rin, Shirou, and Arturia asking her about the 'ghost' and what it has said as well as dinner. It wasn't the best way of assuring them she was fine but she didn't know what else to do. Tell them that her parents used up almost all their life force during the implantation ritual and that the 'ghost' is haunting her because of what her parents did? That couldn't go bad at all. Hakuno was still upset at the fact that the three were clearly hiding something from her. It's only fair that she hide stuff from them since two can play the game of secrets.

It had been such a good day with Arturia, only to have it ruined by her learning the truth. She was just about ready to lay down and call it a day but, before she could, Arturia came into the room and wrapped her arms around Hakuno. Hakuno was half expecting Arturia to try and ask again only for Arturia to speak the opposite.

"If you don't want to talk about whatever the 'ghost' said, that's okay. Just know we're here for you Hakuno."

Hakuno sighed. A part of her wanted to just let it out but she knew, if she did, she would break down in tears. She needed some time to process it through her head before she talked about it. She looked at Arturia.

"I just need to process what they have said is all. Once I do, I'll tell you guys."

Arturia just nodded as she laid down with Hakuno as Hakuno slowly drifted to sleep. She hoped what the 'ghost' said would fade into the back of her mind after some sleep. She just didn't want to bother them with the burden of knowing what she knew, even if it would be a relief on her.

 

Arturia just stared at Hakuno as she slept. She had been worried when she came back to the living room earlier to see Rin and Shirou trying to snap Hakuno out of whatever Morgan had done to her. Hakuno's eyes had become dull as she stared blankly in a direction. None of them had any idea what to do until Archer had appeared and given Hakuno a jolt. They were all surprised to see Archer being capable of magecraft. Rin and Shirou both asked him who he was but he simply didn't answer. He was hiding something but it wasn't with ill intent. She looked up as Archer surprised her as he appeared.

"Hakuno alright?" 

Arturia simply nodded but she wanted to ask him something. Ever since he had talked about his knowledge of the Kishinami family at the church, Arturia wanted to know how much he knew of the Kishinami's. Especially now after he seems to know how to wake Hakuno up.

"How much about Hakuno's family do you know?"

"If you are worried about me being related to her, don't. I had close ties to one of her ancestors but I died before I could make anything out of it. That's why I know as much as I do. However, I wasn't entirely truthful about what I knew when we talked at the church."

"What do you mean?"

"I left out a bit of detail when I spoke about the rumors of the ritual. Mostly because I knew that, if Hakuno knew and then found out about the surgery, she would have been devastated. It's also why I haven't told Rin and Shirou either. So, let's keep it a secret between us, shall we?" 

Arturia just nodded as she accepted the deal as Archer went on.

"To put it simply, implanting a different person's magic circuits is dangerous. The circuits become unstable and start breaking down the body. So, the Kishinami design the ritual to use their life force in order to stabilize the circuits. The amount needed often depended on two factors: How powerful the magic circuits were and the person they were taken from. I imagine you can figure the rest out."

Arturia was starting to understand. Of course, she knew that meant that the reason Hakuno's parents died when she was young was that they had implanted Morgan's magic circuits into Hakuno. They must have known that would happen yet did it regardless. She looked at Hakuno knowing how bad she would be if she found out.

"They probably removed all that information from the medical records."

"Only reason all that info would be missing. Seems like they did everything they could to make sure she could live a normal life but had the resources to be a mage if something happened." 

And Hakuno had no idea of everything they had done for her till they were both gone. She couldn't help but feel terrible for Hakuno. She had such loving parents but they never got to see her grow up. No wonder Hakuno had been so affected by their deaths. 

"Thanks for letting me know Archer."

"I figured I could tell you before I let you know Rin wanted to know if you and Hakuno felt like going to the zoo tomorrow. She thought it would be a nice way to try and keep Hakuno's mind off Morgan." 

Arturia thought about it for a moment. Hakuno mentioned earlier she didn't get to do much when she was younger. No Servant would be want to risk attacking while they are there and Hakuno could spend some time with Shirou and Rin. 

"I'd think it would be a good idea. I'll ask what Hakuno thinks tomorrow."

Archer nodded as he disappeared in spirit form and left as Arturia stayed up thinking about Hakuno's parents and what they did before falling to sleep. She knew she had a lot of work to do to help Hakuno. The first step would be getting Morgan out of her head so she could live a peaceful life without someone trying to ruin it.


	21. Chapter 21

Hakuno had slept, for the most part, peacefully. No strange dreams or visions, no random images flashing in her head. Of course, her luck was bound to turn rotten and, right before she woke up, she saw a very static image flash in her head.  It was hard to make out anything but she could tell there was blood as a figure was kneeling in front of another figure who was against the wall but she couldn't make out any distinct features. The only thing she could tell is the one who was kneeling had, what she could tell, a red scarf.

Hakuno slowly began to wake up and rubbed her eyes. She had no idea what that was about nor did she think it was related to Arturia or Alexandra like her previous dreams had been. Arturia was already awake and was getting ready when she noticed Hakuno was awake.

"Good morning Hakuno. Did you sleep well?"

"Surprisingly yes. I was half expecting another dream, vision, or something else."

Arturia just smiled. She was probably glad to see her in a better mood. Hakuno got up, deciding to not worry about that image she saw, as she got ready for the day. As she did, Arturia asked her an out of nowhere question.

"How would you feel about going to the zoo today?"

"Ehh? That's a weird question to ask."

"Just satisfy my curiosity, please?" 

Hakuno thought of a moment. She never got to go to the zoo when she was younger so she wouldn't be against the idea. She was just wondering why Arturia was asking.

"I'd like to go. I'm not against going I'm just wondering why you are asking."

Arturia smirked before replying.

"I just wanted to gauge your reaction before I told you Rin wanted us all to go to the zoo. Archer told me last night after you fell asleep."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous considering they're Masters?"

"Maybe but it would also be a hard fight for any servant, aside from Berserker, to risk a two on one fight. If anything, having two masters would be a deterrent from engaging us."

Hakuno couldn't argue with that train of thought. The only issue would be if a servant or master could figure out she has old magic. That might would make the risk worth it but she would put that thought to the side and trust Arturia, Rin, and Shirou's judgment on this one. Hakuno finished getting ready as they left the room.

After breakfast, they started heading to the zoo as Arturia stayed in the back while she let Hakuno, Rin, and Shirou walk together. She was curious to see how Hakuno was reacting to the two after their conversation about Hakuno possibly having crushes on both of them. It was cute, to say the least, to watch Shirou, Rin, and Hakuno talk. Even if she did return to the grail once this war was over, at least Hakuno would be in good company. The only issue would be Morgan, if she chose to continue to bother Hakuno after Arturia was gone.

Arturia needed to find a way to get Morgan out of Hakuno or find a way to kill her. Morgan might be only acting this was because of Arturia but there were no guarantees that she would revert back to her silent self. Arturia won't trust it considering how bad Morgan had been to Hakuno over the past few days. As they were walking, Hakuno glanced back at Arturia.

"Are you alright? You look like you're thinking about something."

Arturia looked up at Hakuno before giving her a reassuring smile. 

"I'm fine Hakuno. Don't let me thinking ruin the day for you."

"You could never ruin a day for me Arturia."

Arturia couldn't help but smile at Hakuno comment. She knows Hakuno meant it but it didn't help Arturia when it came to worrying about Morgan. She might not be able to ruin a day for Hakuno but Morgan could. She shoved her thoughts about Morgan as they continued to walk. The sooner they got Morgan out of Hakuno's head, the better off Hakuno would be. For now, they will simply make sure Morgan doesn't have the power of her name to make Hakuno afraid.

 

Rider had a strange feeling as she was trailing Hakuno, Rin, Shirou, and, what she could only guess was, Saber. She had already set up her field at the school so Sakura gave her the day to herself and she decided to go see Hakuno. Once she did, however, she started sensing something. She didn't feel like they were endangered so much as they were being watched by someone else other than her. Sure, it could be the other servant of the two, but Riders instincts were telling her differently. It didn't feel like another servant was nearby but it also didn't feel like it was nothing. 

She was looking around for what she was sensing as she saw a fortune teller making her way to where ever she was going. Rider couldn't help but think the woman was off in some way but, as Hakuno started getting farther away she shoved the feeling to the side and went to catch up. Just to be on the safe side, she'll tail Hakuno for the day to make sure nothing went wrong. She might even try and approach Hakuno if she was left alone long enough. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp another chapter done but I do have some news. I'm going to be taking a break from this story/series so I don't end up drying myself up for writing. I do intend to keep writing but I'll be starting a new story within a day or so that doesn't follow the "Legend of Artoria: Ressucite" universe.
> 
> Apologies for any inconvenience and I hope you have enjoyed the chapter.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick chapter while I'm working with a friend on the framework for the 'Flower of the Underworld' story. I hope everyone enjoys this surprise chapter.

Hakuno had never been the zoo before. Sure, she has seen zoos in cartoons or shows but she never got to visit one before. So, compare to what she had seen and the impression she had, she was surprised at how little she had known about it. She could tell Shirou and Rin were holding themselves back from laughing but she didn't think too much considering she was a teenager but was acting like a kid with the first time she had been to the zoo. When we were getting near, Archer ended up appearing and decided to join us saying there weren't any servants nearby and Hakuno should be able to detect any if they get near. So it was the 5 of them exploring the zoo.

They saw the animals enclosures as she ended up seeing new animals. Around noon, they ended up at a place within the zoo where food is served and they ended up eating lunch. Shirou was the one to end up asking her a question.

"So, you really never been to the zoo before Hakuno?" 

"No. Like I've said, I was sheltered for most of my life so I didn't get to enjoy the normal things kids do."

Arturia patted her on the head as she smiled.

"Well, now you are. A couple of years late but it's better than never doing it. I still can't believe the lion exhibit was close."

Arturia was not happy when they found out they weren't able to see the lions. Hakuno didn't get why until Arturia explained her affection for lions. Hakuno told Arturia they would come back another day once the lion exhibit was back up. Archer had simply chuckled which caught everyone off guard. 

They all started talking about things as Hakuno began to felt a familiar mana source. The same one she encountered at the school a few days ago. Hakuno knew why Rider was likely here and knew if Arturia, Rin, and Shirou found out or sensed her, it would end up a disaster. Hakuno got up knowing the best option to avoid a fight here.

"I need to go use the restroom."

Arturia looked at her and started to get up but Hakuno stopped her.

"Arturia I will only be gone for a few minutes and the 'ghost' hasn't bothered me at all today. I think a few minutes by myself won't do me any harm."

"Fine, but any longer and I'm coming to check on you."

Hakuno smiled before she left them as she headed to the public restrooms. Luckily, the girls' restroom was empty as she went in. She went over to the sinks and mirrors as she looked at her reflection before sighing at what she was about to do.

"Alright, Rider. You can come out. I know you're there."

As she spoke, Rider appeared behind her. She wasn't in the same outfit she had been in the forest but was in a more casual outfit. She had a black shirt, jeans, and glasses on. She even seems to have covered up the weird marking on her forehead Hakuno didn't think much about when she had first met Rider. Rider began to speak.

"It was bold of you to get yourself alone. You know I am dangerous."

"I also know if you wanted to kill and or kidnap me it would already be done and you wouldn't have made yourself detectable by me."

Rider smirked as she approached Hakuno and Hakuno turned to face her. Hakuno hated to admit it but she was curious to why Rider wanted to talk.

"I just wanted to tell you something but you have to promise you won't tell Shirou, Rin, Saber, or Archer."

Hakuno just looked at her. Why did she want to keep a secret from her friends? She doubt Rider would say anything that would risk her being found out. Hakuno sighed knowing the only way she'll know what Rider is going to say is agreeing to keep it a secret.

"I won't tell them but what is so important that you would risk starting a fight?"

"There is a 4th master at the school."

Hakuno was silent for a moment as she processed what Rider just said. A 4th Master? There was no way right? The grail wouldn't end up picking 4 people that all went to one place to fight in the war.

"Whether you believe me or not is up to you but I wanted to at least let you know what my Master has planned for tomorrow." 

"Are you trying to betray Shinji?"

She just smirked at the insinuation at Shinji being her Master. Hakuno had found it odd that Shinji hadn't tried anything after finding out she has old magic. Maybe he just didn't know how powerful it was?

"Not quite. I intend to make sure you are safe by dealing with the mystery Master and their servant. I've spent the last few days getting everything set up. I just wanted to make sure you weren't caught off guard when it happens as my orders are to make sure you are safe."

Hakuno immediately understood Shinji could not be Rider's Master. Shinji would have never ordered something so selfless but, if he wasn't Rider's master, who was? Hakuno shoved that question to the side as she looked back at Rider.

"Thank you. I don't know who your Master is but tell them I said thank you. I kinda wish I knew who they were at least."

Rider noticed Hakuno had lowered her guard and took advantage of it as she quickly moved in and kissed Hakuno on the lips as she looked shocked at how fast Rider had reacted and was stunned when she moved away, smiling at her.

"You will know once the 4th Master is dealt with. They want to set up a truce with Rin and Shirou. So we might end up seeing each other much more often during the war."

Hakuno just stared stun at what she was feeling as she could feel her heart pounding in her chest for some reason. It didn't hurt like she was having a heart attack or anything but she didn't know why it was doing it. Rider smiled before she started to leave.

"I should probably go so you can get back to your friends before they suspect anything. Let's keep this meeting between us shall we?"

Those were her last words as Rider disappeared. Leaving Hakuno alone as in the restroom she tried to process what just happened.


	23. Chapter 23

Arturia was starting to get a bit worry while they waited for Hakuno. She knew Hakuno could handle herself but it wasn't a servant that was worrying her. A servant is something she would likely be able to sense, aside from Assassin. Morgan, on the other hand, she wouldn't know if Hakuno is being affected by her or not from a distance. That was what worried Arturia the most. 

Shirou must have noticed her worry as he patted her shoulder.

"I'm sure Hakuno is fine Saber. She hasn't been gone for that long."

"I know but I can't help but worry. Anytime Hakuno is alone, Morgan jumps on the opportunity to mess with her."

Rin looked up and smiled.

"Well, you don't have to worry about it much. Hakuno's right over there."

Arturia looked to where Rin was looking and saw Hakuno walking back. From what she could tell, Hakuno was ok but she still couldn't help but shake the feeling something has happened. Hakuno sat back down and started to finish her food as everyone looked at her a bit curious about what took her so long.

"Sorry that it took a bit longer. The bathroom was crowded. Once I finish eating, shall we go see the rest of the zoo?

She could tell Hakuno was hiding something. Hakuno was clearly trying to drop the topic of what really happened but it clearly wasn't a run in with Morgan. She didn't sense any servants or Masters and Archer would have brought something up if he did. So what was Hakuno trying to hide?

"Arturia?"

Arturia looked up and saw Hakuno staring at her.

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah, sorry just thinking is all."

"Come on, Arturia. Just try and relax a bit down on the 'ghost' thing. Just for today?"

She sighed. She couldn't say no to Hakuno. They wanted to make her feel better about what has been happening with Morgan. Her thinking about it wouldn't help Hakuno. 

"Of course Hakuno."

Hakuno smiled as she finished up eating and stood up.

"Well, shall we get going then?" 

 

They spent the next few hours walking around the zoo some more. Shirou, Rin, and Archer decided to head back early leaving just Arturia and Hakuno to explore to themselves. It wasn't long after that Hakuno decided she wanted to head back as well. As they left and headed back to Shirou's place, they came across a fortuneteller. Hakuno smiled as she stopped.

"Hey, Arturia. Mind if we stop and try this place out? I always wanted to get my fortune read."

She wasn't against the idea of Hakuno getting her fortune read. The issue was, though, that the place itself felt weird. 

"Hakuno does this place feel off to you?"

Hakuno looked at the place and tries to sense anything before turning back to Arturia.

"It feels a bit odd but I can't sense anything that would say it's a servant or a master."

Arturia couldn't help but sense something was off about the place but shook it off. She promised Hakuno she would try and relax for today. Plus, what harm could come from seeing what Hakuno's fortune is? She went to the door and opened it.

"After you, Hakuno."

Hakuno smiled at her as she went in first and Arturia followed behind her as they enter the place.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter I got almost done the writing before I went to write the latest chapter for my other story. Hope you enjoyed.


	24. Chapter 24

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before we start I want to let everyone know current plans for my two stories. I'm putting Flower of the Underworld on hiatus till Part One of The Legend of Artoria: Ressucite is complete. This is due to having plans to add a 3rd story, originally my first Fate story, and want to rotate between the three. Once Part 1 is over, I will return to Flower of the Underworld story to write till I finish Shinjuku then will proceed with my 3rd story and rotate between the 3.
> 
> With all that said, please enjoy the chapter.

The two walked into the fortune teller place. It was a small room with little to nothing for decoration or things to do as you wait. Hakuno didn't know what to think of the place other than it must not get a lot of business. She still felt the weird mana source she was feeling. To be more concise, the source itself was coming from. what she could tell. the fortune teller.

The fortune teller was sitting at a table with a crystal orb sitting on the table as she looked up and saw the two.

"Ahhh, welcome young ladies. I apologize for not noticing you sooner. I wasn't expecting anyone to enter here."

She looked at the fortune teller and smiled.

"It's alright. I was hoping you could read my fortune."

Arturia simply stayed at the side as she took a seat at the table. The fortune teller nodded.

"Of course, young one. Simply put your hands on the orb and close your eyes."

She could sense Arturia getting a bit tensed but she couldn't sense anything malicious or evil coming from the fortune teller. So, she did as she was told to do as she waited.

 

Medea couldn't believe how easy this was. Sure both the Saber and this girl seem to sense something was off with the place, but neither one suspected she was a servant or a master. The issue was simply if this girl was the one she sensed using Old Magic during that night Berserker had fought.

She sensed Saber and Archer as well during the fight. While Saber had initially caught her attention, the moment she sensed someone using Old Magic, any interest she had in Saber, was eclipsed by them. Considering she was Caster and that there was no other servant present at the fight, the only conclusion she could make was the person who used Old Magic was a mortal.

She believed it was impossible for such a person to exist. With how the world was, in this era, there still could be powerful mages but none should be able to use Old Magic. She soon came to learn this wasn't the case. Thanks to her Master being a teacher at the school, she was able to keep tabs on the place and detected the same magic from that night at the school. She also sensed 3 other Masters at the place but the one with the Old Magic wasn't one of them. 

She eventually determined that, if she encountered Saber, she would likely encounter the user of old magic and here she was. It was a bit surprising that such a young girl was a user of such magic. There had to be a reason for it and she was going to find out.

She started to search through this girl's memories. Her name was Hakuno Kishanami and she learned basic stuff about the girl, however, as she tried to access some more important details she felt something stop her as she simply heard a voice in her head.

"I'm sorry but the only person is allowed to mess with Hakuno's head and that's me. Now, if you would kindly leave."

She felt herself being forced out of Hakuno's head. She didn't know who this other person was but it was clear Hakuno had someone protecting her. No...protecting wasn't the right word. Whatever force was in the girl was clearly malicious. She simply acted as if nothing happened as she gave Hakuno her fortune.

"You have experienced much loss and difficulty and, while those things are yet done with your life, there is a light at the end of the tunnel for you."

"Well, at least it's not all doom and gloom."

She could not tell if Hakuno was an optimist or was just not that bright. Regardless of the fact, they had bought the whole act and Medea knows who she needed to go after when the time came. She watched as Hakuno stood up and began to reach for something, Medea assumed it was money, but she stopped her.

"You don't owe me anything young lady. Considering it on the house for being so patient with me."

"Are you sure? Money isn't a concern for me."

"Trust me. Now go on and you two have a nice day."

Hakuno and Saber both looked at each other before thanking her and leaving. Medea simply sighed at how smoothly it went. Aside from whatever is presiding within Hakuno, neither one suspected her. She immediately contacted her Master and began to inform him as they started going over a plan for tomorrow. 

 

Arturia couldn't help but shake the feeling about something being off with the place. Even though nothing seems to have happened that wouldn't be considered normal, she couldn't help but still feel worried about what happened. Then there was the situation with Hakuno and the bathrooms earlier. She felt like Hakuno was hiding something but didn't want to pry into Hakuno. While she was busy in thought, as they were almost back at Shirou's place, Hakuno looked at her and sighed.

"You really are taking this 'mother' thing seriously huh."

"Hakuno I..."

She stopped herself as she found it hard to say but finally managed to say it.

"I don't wish to fail you like I did Mordred. I don't want you getting hurt or taken by any servant."

"You didn't fail Mordred, Arturia, you know that. If anyone failed her, it was Morgan."

"But I-"

"You lost your humanity when you got Caliburn. You weren't really yourself when you ruled. Who you are right now, you being like this, is who you are. Don't hold what happened against yourself Arturia." 

She couldn't help but smile as she pulled Hakuno in for a hug. She gave a mental thanks to Alexandra and Hakuno's late parents for creating such a sweet child that understood what had happened. Sadly, the moment didn't last as Archer cleared his throat to get their attention as they both looking at him.

"Sorry to interrupt you two having a 'mother-daughter' moment. Rin sent me out to make sure you two were all right since you were taking a bit longer to get back then they liked and thought something happened."

"Sorry Archer, we kinda stopped at a fortune teller to get my fortune read." 

Archer looked at her as she simply shrugged and smiles as he sighed and started walking back with them. They were only a minute away. She was surprised they didn't sense them coming or that they were worried about them. Regardless, considering how she had been, she wouldn't hold it against them for doing so. 

The rest of the evening played out pretty peacefully. They ate dinner, Arturia spent some time with Hakuno teaching her Latin, and then soon enough they were in bed and Hakuno was fast asleep. Arturia was thankful Morgan had left Hakuno. Though, this worried her as Morgan was likely planning or waiting for something to happen. Whatever the case was, Arturia would be ready for it.

 

Medea finally reached the Temple she and her Master had set up base at around the time the Sun had set. As she climbed up the stairs she simply thought over the plan her Master had come up with. He would keep Hakuno away from Saber and Archer along with their masters, and once Medea began her surprise attack, he would go to kidnap her. It was a pretty straight forward plan. As she thought of the plan, a voice interrupted her.

"Evening, Caster. It's been quite peaceful with you being away from the Temple. You should do it more often."

"You know Assassin if this was any other day, I would threaten to cut your tongue out or open your chest and watch you squirm but I am in a good mood today."

"Oh? So I imagine whatever you went into the city for paid off?"

"Let's just say we know who and where we can find the person who used Old Magic against Berserker."

"Ahhh, that is good news. I shall not keep you from your scheming then."

Assassin step to the side as she walked past him. As much as he hated the man and found his antics annoying, he was useful when defending this place. Perhaps that was what keeps her from simply killing Assassin and getting rid of one more Servant to deal with later. She went into one of the rooms fo the temple and started preparing for the battle that would come tomorrow. One way or another, Hakuno would be hers.


	25. Chapter 25

Hakuno felt uneasy during the entire time at school the next day. She was fully aware of Rider and her Master planning to attack the last Master at the school but it didn't help calm her nerves. What if this whole 'fourth Master' story was just a lie and Rider was intending to attack Rin or Shirou or even both of them?

She didn't understand why she was trusting Rider. She had no idea if Shinji was their Master or not. Rin and Shirou believed so but she didn't believe it considering how Rider hadn't tried to capture or take her. If Shinji was truly her master, he would likely try and capture Hakuno the moment he knew from Rider she could use Old Magic. The question is then, who is Rider's Master and why do they seem to care about her so much?

What was even worse, Sakura wasn't anywhere to be found today. She didn't come to eat and walk to school with the three of them nor was she present at school. Shinji said she was sick and, while it was possible that it was true, Hakuno couldn't help but worry about her. Shirou and Rin both caught onto something being off and asked her during lunch but she didn't tell them what was truly wrong but just that she was worried about Sakura.

Though, despite Rider's warning from yesterday, classes went on like normal. She didn't sense Rider or this mysterious 4th servant near the school. Soon enough, the end of the day comes as all the students had started to go home. It was taking her a bit slower than usual as she had put her sense on full alert for Rider or this mystery servant. She sensed Rin and Shirou were outside waiting for her. She sighed as she began to put the rest of her school books in her bookbag.

"Ahhh, Hakuno. I was hoping I would catch you before you left."

Hakuno looked up to see one of the teachers of the school. She only knew him due to him being Rin's teacher. 

"Oh, Mr. Kuzuki. What did you need?"

He closed the door to the room as he walked in.

"I simply wanted to ask how you are holding up. It's not often we have students like yourself."

"I'm doing well. I was a bit nervous at first but, after becoming friends with Shirou and Rin, it's been nice to get to experience what normal kids do, even if it's the only year I'll get to enjoy it.

She hadn't put much focus on the teacher much as she was putting the rest of her books away. She didn't notice him get close to her before he said something that sent a chill down her spine.

"It's a shame someone like you got dragged into all this."

Hakuno didn't even get a chance to respond before she felt a strike to the back of her neck causing her to fall to the ground as she struggled to not fall unconscious. She tried to move or even say anything only to find herself unable to do anything. Whatever or whoever hit her did so that she was paralyzed. 

 

Shirou was starting to getting curious about what was taking Hakuno so long to catch up. He and Rin met up and walked outside the school, expecting Hakuno to be waiting on them as usual, only to find her not there. It didn't help that she had been acting weird all day. Rin was starting to get worried.

"What is taking her so long?"

"Rin, calm down. I'm sure Hakuno is fine."

"How can you say that when we know there's another Master at the School?"

Shirou sighed at Rin's comment. Sure, Shinji could be a bit....much, but he hadn't done anything yet. There was no reason to believe he was going to go after Hakuno. 

"Shirou, Rin, there you two are."

Both of them turned to see Arturia walking up to them. He was a bit curious as to why Arturia came to the school instead of waiting for them to get home.

"What are you doing here, Arturia? You didn't have to come to get us. We were about to head home as soon as Hakuno caught up."

"I wanted to get out for a bit. Also, why are you waiting for Hakuno to catch up?"

Rin stepped in, likely knowing he would have just said something else than the truth.

"We don't know. She was a bit paler than usual today? Did she look sick to you Arturia when she woke up?"

"No, she looked fine. Maybe something on her mind is bothering her?"

Well, at least she wasn't sick. He was about to ask her if she had any idea of what could be bothering her only for Archer to appear with a grim look on his face.

"We got a problem."

None of them could ask what was wrong before they saw what the problem was. Up in the sky, a red orb appeared as the entire school area began to be filled in a red aura. He felt something affecting him and noticed Rin and Archer experiences the same as the only one unaffected was Arturia as she stared at the school with a look that sent a shiver down his spine.

"This must be Rider's doing. She clearly is after Hakuno."

No one brought any counter-arguments. How could they, the only other master at the school, to their knowledge, was Shinji. Arturia manifested her armor and sword and began to head for the school only for weird looking skeletons to appear all over the campus and started blocking their path. They needed to get to Hakuno before Rider either killed her or takes her.

 

Souichirou simply looked outside as he could hear the skeletons Caster had created outside the hall. Someone had clearly set up a trap. He needed to get Hakuno and leave. He imagines Shirou and Rin would likely come looking for Hakuno. Wouldn't be a good look for him if he was caught standing over her body. Thanks to Caster's enchantments, Hakuno should stay paralyze long enough for him to get her back to Caster.

He reached to grab her only for a threat to fill the room.

"You lay a finger on her, I will tear off the arm that touched her."

All he could do is smirk as he looked up to see a figure appear before her. The fourth servant Caster has been trying to find out and they appear before him. She must have been the one to set up this trap.

"You seem to care much for a girl who isn't even your Master."

"She's important to my Master and, therefore, important to me. My master was hoping Caster was the one to try and take the girl but killing you would work just as well."

He simply took a stance as Rider charged at him.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ' ' for conversations between Morgan and Hakuno. Also, I will simply go with Ghost instead of 'ghost' from now on.
> 
> With that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Rider knew something was off. The entire day had gone by yet she had yet to sense the servant magical energy like she usually has been since she was summoned. She knew there was a servant at the school around this time so where were they?

Rider quickly ran down the list of possible servants to explain what was going on. She knew about Saber, Archer, and Berserker. That left just Lancer, Assassin, and Caster. Lancer was immediately one she could cross off. The night she sensed Hakuno using Old Magic, Lancer had been at the school. If it was Lancer, she would have been able to tell by now. That only left the two. If the servant was Assassin, then they would have likely been more effort to conceal their presence at the school to avoid scenarios like Rider had set up.

That just left Caster. Yet, here she was and there was no sign of Caster. She saw Rin and Shirou leaving the school but, despite double checking to make sure she wasn't mistaken, Hakuno wasn't with them. Her attention was taken away from them as she quickly felt a magic spike similar to the servant she had been sensing only for it to immediately disappear. In any other scenario, she would have ignored it but, considering she had no idea where Hakuno was, she wouldn't risk it. 

She wasn't following what Sakura had told her to do but, if it ended up saving Hakuno, she would be forgiven. 

"Activate, Blood Fort Andromeda."

With those words, all the magic seals she had set up all over the campus activated as the entire school got covered in the red aura. She knew this would make Shirou and Rin view her as an enemy but Hakuno was the priority. Whatever happened afterward, she would figure it out. She made her way down towards where the magic spike had happened only to come across a bunch of skeletons like creatures. She didn't have time to deal with them so she avoids them as she made her way to the room and enter the room only to see a man standing over Hakuno as they were about to touch her.

Rider was not going to have that.

"You lay a finger on her, I will tear off the arm that touched her."

The man simply looked at her with a smile as he backed off from Hakuo. She needed to get him away from Hakuno. His intent was clear.

"You seem to care much for a girl who isn't even your Master."

Perhaps he was right. However, Sakura cared about her too.

"She's important to my Master and, therefore, important to me. My master was hoping Caster was the one to try and take the girl but killing you would work just as well."

She didn't waste any time as she headed straight towards him as he stepped away from Hakuno. She stood in front of Hakuno as she stared down the man. The man was clearly a trained fighter. If he really was being helped by Caster, then this would be a harder fight.

 

Hakuno felt a bit of relief once she heard Rider's voice. Initially, the thought crossed her mind that Rider had attacked her but, once she heard Rider in the room threatening whoever attacked her, those doubts were cleared. Soon enough, she saw Rider standing in front of her as she and whoever attacked her began to fight. The only issue was, Hakuno couldn't get a clear view of who had attacked her.

She kept trying to move her limbs but they all felt numb. It also didn't help that, whatever the attacker had done, she was feeling her mana weaken and being sapped. She needed to stop whatever was happening but, in order to do that, she needed to get up.

She didn't have many options. She didn't know any spells that could help and, even if she did, there is no telling if she would just pass out like last time. She couldn't call or contact Shirou or Rin. Rider had her hands full with whoever was attacking. This, sadly, left her with one person. Arturia would not like what was about to do. 

She closed her eyes and tried to focus.

'Ghost? Can you hear me?'

It took a moment before she started hearing her laughing.

'Oh? What's this? You're finally trying to talk to me?'

'Look, I don't have a lot of time. Can you help me?'

'Why would you assume that I could?'

'Because you seem to know more than I do. I can't move for some reason and I don't know how to undo whatever this attacker did. We're sharing the same body so don't you care if something happened to me?'

Ghost stayed silent. Even if she didn't admit it, Hakuno felt like she was right. If something happened to her, Ghost also would suffer.

'Perhaps, but wouldn't it be nice to get away from Arturia and the others? I mean, they seem to be trying to drive us apart. Don't forget, I've been keeping you safe all these years.'

Hakuno wanted to say it was her who was making the two fight but, for whatever reason, she couldn't help but feel Ghost was right. She knew she wasn't but she can't help but feel like she agreed with her.

'Even if you're mind hasn't accepted it yet, your heart has. Arturia will fail you just as she did the rest of her knights.'

 

Rider couldn't help but get a sense of unease. Even though Caster's Master was a very good fighter, she still had a slight advantage. The only issue was keeping him away fro Hakuno. Every couple of moments of fighting her, he would try and break off to get Hakuno. She had no issue making sure his attention was on her only as she swung her chains around to keep him at a distance before going for a swift kick only to have it parried. 

She could sense Saber and Archer, along with their Masters, making their way to her. She didn't have long and it would be very hard to prove that she wasn't the attacker in this scenario. She needed to deal with Caster's master quick and take Hakuno with her. She knew Sakura would be upset and it would only make the situation look worst but it was better than trying to explain that their teacher was actually a Master and he was the one who attacked Hakuno and she had the field activate in order to defend Hakuno.

As the man went to strike her, she quickly dodged and wrapped her chain weapons around his arm before pushing him towards a wall and driving the spike part of her weapon into the wall. He clearly understood what she was trying to and tried to get her back but she simply took the hits as she wraps the other side of the chains and shoves the spike into the wall. Leaving him unable to move. Hopefully, this would keep him restained long enough for her to get Hakuno out of here. 

She turns, expecting Hakuno to be on the ground like she was, only to be surprised as she was slowly and sluggishly standing up. Maybe if she explained what happened to Hakuno, she could maybe help clear the misunderstanding with Shirou and Rin. Otherwise, this would get ugly fast.

She walked over and looked at Hakuno.

"Hakuno, Shirou and Rin are on their way but I need you to help explain what happens. They won't believe me but they might believe you."

Hakuno was being abnormally silent. She wasn't even looking directly at her. 

"Hakuno? Are you ok?"

She gently lifted Hakuno's head so she could look at her only to be met with a different set of eyes than she was used to. Hakuno's once hazel eyes were green and lifeless as she looked like she was in a trance. Rider didn't know what was going on as she shook Hakuno.

"Hakuno! Snap out of it. It's-"

As she was about to say more her voice got cut off as she looked down to see the spike end of her weapon going straight through her heart. She could feel Hakuno tremble as she looked back to see her face in horror only to be pulled away and slammed into the wall that was once keeping the Master of Caster.

"You put up a good fight, however, your care for the girl cost you the win. If you had killed me instead of restraining me, you could have lived."


	27. Chapter 27

Morgan simply smiled as she could feel her grasp on Hakuno nearly completely tight. She has been working for the past ten years to reach this point. It was clear Hakuno's mother had somehow found out about her. She had kept Morgan sealed deep in the back of Hakuno's mind where she couldn't do anything. However, once she had died, the seal was broken. 

She had expected it to be simple to take Hakuno. Her father had passed away at a young age and now she lost the only other person she knew of. A few years of normal life would all Morgan would need to take the girl and control her. Except, Hakuno didn't live a simple normal life. She was sheltered and kept away from anything that could cause her stress. Taken care of to ensure Morgan could do very little to influence Hakuno. 

She didn't know how the woman had become aware of her nor how she knew her own methods. Regardless, Morgan worked over the past decade to get Hakuno to where she was. Her visits started off being few and far between but, by the time Hakuno was thirteen, her connection with Hakuno was well enough she could visit at least once a month. Before this war broke out, she was on the verge of beginning to be able to talk to Hakuno.

But the war itself has helped Morgan more than she had ever expected. 

Hakuno learning about her family, about her, about the surgery, and the fighting had made Hakuno more stress in the past few days than she had ever been in the past ten years. This war was exactly what Morgan needed to get Hakuno under her control. Though, all this hadn't come without a few cogs or, rather, one big cog.

Arturia, her sister, had attached herself to the girl. Her influence on Hakuno was nearly non-existence whenever the two were around each other. Between her, Rin, and Shirou, they've slowly are undoing all the work she has been working towards. Still, they have also helped. Arturia not telling Hakuno who she is and this whole 'Rider situation' had caused mistrust between Hakuno and the others.

Now, here she was, Hakuno on the verge of falling under her control. With as much control as she had, she managed to get Hakuno to stand up, albeit slow and sluggishly. Not only from the paralyzing strike Hakuno had taken but the fact there was still a bit of Hakuno still fighting. Just as she managed to get Hakuno up, Rider was walking back towards them, restraining the man that had harmed Hakuno to the wall.

She could hear the servant speaking but her focus wasn't on her. She was focused on the man behind her as he was slowly pulling the chains out from the wall. She couldn't help but smile as an idea passed through her mind. What better way to fill Hakuno with sadness and despair than for her to take back control only to find a servant she cared for dying as she did nothing to save her.

She smiled as she starts letting go as she felt Hakuno starting to take back control. She would have front row seats to what happens next.

 

Hakuno didn't remember what happened. All she remembered was Ghost telling her that her heart knew she was right. She didn't know what she meant but she soon felt arms around her as her awareness began to go blank. She could have heard Ghost but she didn't catch a single word she said.

Hakuno thought Ghost had won. She tried fighting as much as she could but she couldn't get free from it. As she was beginning to think she had lost, she felt her control coming back. She didn't know what or why the Ghost had let go of her but she quickly decided to take back control.

The first she was aware of was that she had somehow managed to stand. She didn't know if this was the Ghost doing or her own. 

Sadly, she didn't a chance to think as she soon became aware of the second thing. She simply stared in horror as Rider was impaled in front of her. She couldn't say a word as she watched Rider get pulled towards a wall and she slammed against it.

"You put up a good fight, however, your care for the girl cost you the win. If you had killed me instead of restraining me, you could have lived."

She looks towards the voice only to be met by shocked as the person who impaled Rider, the person who attacked her, was Mr. Kuzuki.

He was the one who almost knocked her out? He was the fourth Master Rider had warned her about? It didn't make sense. She couldn't sense mana from him. Though now that she was awake, she could sense he was being enhanced by someone else as well as saw his commands seals. Still, he wasn't a magus. He had no mana coming off him aside from the magic he was enhanced with.

She didn't know what to do. Whatever has been done to him, she didn't have a chance. 

Luckily, she heard fighting coming down the hallway. She could sense Shirou, Rin, Archer, and Arturia. She just needed to hold out for a few moments. She turned to try and figure out a plan against Mr. Kuzuki but she was met by a different but similar spike that impaled Rider as it went into her shoulder as she bit her tongue to keep herself from crying out in pain.

"Seems this little ambush didn't work out too well. No matter, Caster told me she had a backup plan. I imagine we will see each other very soon."

Before Hakuno could even respond, he threw some grenade that started spewing smoke as he heard a door open and close. She knew he had escaped but she wasn't going to bother following him. She had other issues to deal with.

She rushed over to Rider as she tried her best to heal her. She hated herself for not having tried to learn to control her magic properly so she could be better at this. Rider had gotten her protecting her and here she was, unable to do anything to save her. Rider simply just smiled at her.

"Why are you healing me? You're hurt as well."

"I'll live.....but...."

Rider simply continued to smile at her. Why? Why was she smiling about dying? She was dying and she couldn't do anything to stop it. Why wasn't Rider scorning her for being so weak and pathetic for a human and for not being good enough to save her?!

"You're safe.....that's all that matters to her."

Those were the last words Rider said before she disappeared, the spike chain weapon she had use and was in Hakuno's shoulder going along with her. She didn't go into her spirit form as Hakuno couldn't sense her period. She simply sat there in silence as blood ran down her wounded arm as she heard the door open. She didn't even look to see who it was as she could sense it.

 

Arturia couldn't help but hate herself for letting things get this far. She should have taken Archer and tried to hunt down Rider before she could pull something like this. It had taken them a few minutes of cutting down skeletons to get to the second floor Hakuno was supposed to have her last class of the day one. 

What she didn't expect was the field they had suspected Rider of creating, as well as the skeletons, disappearing. The once darken and skeletons filled hallways were empty. The school itself looking as if it had barely experienced something akin to a fight.

She could tell Rin and Shirou was as confused as she was but she didn't wait to think about it. She headed for the classroom Rin had mentioned and opened the door not sure what to expect. She expected Hakuno to be gone or dead or the fight to still be going on.

What she didn't expect was for Hakuno to be sitting on the ground in a room that looked like a wind storm had gone through it and Hakuno's arm to be bleeding.

Arturia quickly ran over to Hakuno as she tried to hug her as gently as she could since she was on the side of the bad arm. Rin, Shirou, and Archer had quickly overheard her and came to the room. Hakuno didn't say a word or even look at them as Rin looked shocked at her.

"Hakuno! What happened? Where's Rider?"

She remained silent as they came into the room. It was becoming clear Hakuno was upset about something. Rin, of course, looked at Hakuno a bit confused.

"Hakuno? What's wrong?"

"She's gone...Rider's dead."

Ahhh, now it made sense. Hakuno had to defeat Rider and she was likely still dealing with the fact Rider had betrayed her. Arturia couldn't help but feel sorry for Hakuno as well as furious towards Rider. Rin clearly felt the same. 

"So it was her. We tried to tell you this would happen Hakuno. She was Shinji's servant. He was bound to do something like eventually."

Arturia couldn't help but agree with Rin. They warned Hakuno Rider was a bad choice to try and be nice. Why hadn't she just listen to them? She was expecting Shirou or Archer to help agree with Rin but neither one chimed in or agreed. Rather, they, or rather Archer, disagreed with Rin and Arturia.

"Rin, I don't think it was that simple. Something else is going on and I don't believe it would be smart to just assume it was her."

"Well, who else could it have been? The weird bounded field, the skeletons, only she could have set all that up. Plus, considering what she did to Hakuno when they first met, it was obvious she was going to try and steal Hakuno."

She could feel Hakuno being to shake. Not in sadness but in anger. She didn't understand why she was upset at what Rin had said. Unless she knew something they didn't there was no other servant that could pull this off other than her. 

"She's better off being dead anyway. One less servant we have to deal with later. She was probably weak anyways if Hakuno managed to kill her. A worthless servant for a worthless ma-" 

"SHE WAS NOT WORTHLESS!"

She looked at Hakuno in shock as those words came out of her mouth and she saw tears beginning to run down her checks. The entire room fell silent as Hakuno broke out of her hug and ran out of the room, slamming the door closed as she left. She couldn't understand why she was so upset. Of course, Archer simply sighed as if he already knew what had happened.

"You three are so hopeless sometimes."


	28. Chapter 28

Sakura was starting to get worried. She told Rider, once she was about to start her bounded field, to let her know. Yet, Rider never said a word as she felt magic being used by Rider. She wanted to be at school by the time she had dealt with the fourth servant or was about to finish them so she could be there to explain to Shirou, Rin, and Hakuno.

As she neared the school, the field Rider had set up disappeared as her connection to Rider faded. She knew this meant Rider had been defeated. While Sakura was a bit upset at her death, she got even more worried about Hakuno. Whoever or whatever killed Rider would still go after Hakuno. She finally turned to enter the school campus as Hakuno bumped into her.

"H-Hakuno!? What happened to you? Your shoulder!"

She could see Hakuno holding her shoulder as blood dripped from it. While Sakura was concerned about her injury, she couldn't help but notice Hakuno was crying. Hakuno, quickly realizing who she bumped into tried to calm down.

"H-hey Sakura. Sorry about the mess I cut my shoulder on one of the doors as I was leaving."

She just frowned. Hakuno was lying and she knew it. She could only guess Rider had died protecting Hakuno and she was saved by Rin or Shirou. The question then was why wasn't she with them? Before she could ask, Hakuno started walking past her.

"Sorry for bothering you. I was on my way home."

"You mean Shirou's home?"

"No. I...need some time alone."

"At least let me come and get you patched up. That wound looks worst than you might think."

Hakuno stood in silence before sighing and nodding as she began to walk to her house. She followed alongside her not really sure what to ask or how to tell her she was Rider's real master. She had hope once any mistrust would be clear between Shirou and Rin with Rider once the fourth servant was dealt with. Now, she isn't sure how to explain the whole situation to them. Maybe if she told Hakuno she could help out.

 

Archer wanted to punch a wall at how idiotic Shirou, Rin, and Arturia had been. Sure, hearing Rider had kissed Hakuno had ticked him off as much as it did them. However, unlike them, he didn't let that get in the way of his thinking. Maybe it's because he knew about Rider's true master not being Shinji that he could take it easy but that doesn't give the three of them excuses to not trust Hakuno.

They should have trusted Hakuno when she put her trust in Rider. Instead, they acted antagonistic towards Rider, assumed the absolute worst, and never explained to Hakuno what she did that was so terrible, leaving Hakuno to not understand and misread the entire situation.

"What do you mean 'we're hopeless'? Shouldn't you referring to Hakuno that?" 

"No, because unlike you three she was actually correct on trusting Rider?"

"What do you mean? She betrayed Hakuno and Hakuno had to kill her."

Archer pinched the bridge of his nose. He honestly couldn't believe he had to spell it out for Rin. He could tell Shirou had already stop thinking it was Rider and Arturia was clearly on the fence after Hakuno ran out after what Rin said. Rin, the smart one of the group, was letting her feelings get in the way of her thinking. He never thought he would see the day.

"Hakuno said Rider was dead. Did she say she killed Rider?"

"Well no but-"

"If she had, we would have sense old magic. Sure, an argument could be made that we couldn't sense it because of the bounded field but, now that it is gone, do you sense any residue magic from Hakuno?"

"No."

Arturia looked at him.

"Is there a point to all this?"

"My point is, Rider wasn't attacking Hakuno. She was defending her. Meaning, whoever attacked Hakuno is likely another Master and likely attends or works at this school."

The room fell silent as the three of them took in what Archer had said. He could tell they were putting the pieces together. He figured he would tip them to who would likely know the identity of this fourth Master.

"To top all this off, the one person who would likely know the Master just ran out of the room and is upset at the three of you."

Rin just glared at him.

"And you couldn't tell us this sooner!?"

"I thought you would have figured it out. Look, right now the best thing for Hakuno is leaving her alone. She survived being alone, dealing with Morgan, for a decade. A few hours is not going to hurt her. So, you three can go back to Shirou's place and calm down. Eat dinner, take a bath, whatever you need to do so that, when Hakuno is ready to talk, you three will be sensible and talk."

Arturia sighed and even Rin was clearly starting to feel bad about what she said. Shirou was the one who picked up on what he said.

"Wait, what are you going to be doing?"

"I'm going to go keep an eye on Hakuno. Whoever came after her will likely try again. Plus, if she senses me, I'm the least likely to cause her to get upset at."

"Fair enough."

At least Shirou seems to have been smart enough about all this. He wished he would have stopped Rin from saying anything but he knows the kid isn't perfect. He should know that better than anyone. As he began to leave so he could catch up to Hakuno, he smiled.

"By the way, since none of you felt it yesterday, Rider met and talked to Hakuno at the zoo yesterday. I imagine that was why Hakuno seems to have been worried about this happening all day."

"Wait, what?"

Archer didn't stay to answer how he knew what had happened as he left the room and quickly made his way to Hakuno's house. Luckily, he saw Sakura with her. At least Hakuno would be in good company.

 

Hakuno sat on the couch as she let Sakura work on fixing her shoulder. She told her she could just heal it but she said to let her do this instead of using magic. Hakuno didn't complain as Sakura worked on fixing her shoulder. It allowed her time to think.

She was still a bit hurt that Rin, Shirou, and Arturia had not trusted her with her trust in Rider. Then again, there was a clear lack of trust on both sides considering she didn't tell them about her meeting with Rider yesterday and them not telling her about the Ghost and what Rider did.

Maybe the Ghost was right and that some time away from them would be good for her. The Ghost, while not being polite about it, helped her to get back on her feet during the fight. It still felt weird not having control of her own body. Was that why she felt so much distrust for the Ghost? Before she could think about it more, Sakura said something that caught Hakuno off guard.

"Hakuno, I'm sorry about what Rider did to you. The whole 'kissing you' thing wasn't my idea." 

Hakuno looked back at Sakura. She knew Shinji wasn't Rider's master by this point so it would make sense it was Sakura. It still felt like a bit of a surprise.

"Sakura, please don't be like Rin and Shirou and not explain to me why what Rider did was so bad. It's frustrating enough I seem to not know what is going on."

Sakura looked at her with a bit of shock. She didn't get why everyone seems to have forgotten she didn't know everything due to being shelter most of her life. After a few moments, Sakura began to get flustered.

"Y-you really don't know? I thought Rider was just joking on you being so innocent."

"Innocent? What did I do a crime or something?"

Sakura got even more flustered after she said that. She quickly excused herself from the room as Hakuno sat there still confused. Of course, she was innocent. She never harmed anyone, aside from Berserker but she doubted Servants counted as normal, everyday people. After a few moments, Sakura returned to the room and finished up bandaging her shoulder up as she looked at Hakuno.

"Do you wanna go get some ice cream or something? I promise to explain to you what Shirou and Rin likely were mad at Rider about."

"I could go for ice cream."

Hakuno got up and made sure her card was still on her person as she followed Sakura out of the house and down to the park where the ice cream stand where she had gotten ice cream with Arturia was still open. After they both got the flavors they want and sat down and began to eat, she looked at Sakura as she began to explain what Rider did.


	29. Chapter 29

Sakura couldn't believe how Rider hadn't been lying on how Hakuno was completely unaware of what she had done. She knew Rider did it to be sure it was Hakuno but she would have thought Hakuno would have been at least a bit mad about Rider doing it, yet she wasn't. Hakuno was completely lacking in the basics of love.

She couldn't help but laugh a little as she told Hakuno enough about the concept that she could understand why Shirou, Rin, and Saber were all likely mad at Rider. Though, why was Hakuno never taught any of this? She knew Hakuno was sheltered but she still had her parents to explain all this though. She was curious enough to ask about it.

"Why didn't your parents teach you any of this stuff? I get you were sheltered but what could be the harm of telling you?"

Hakuno about to take a lick of her ice cream but stop and simply sat in silence. She quickly realized what was going on before Hakuno even said it.

"I..lost my parents when I was 6. I was taken care of by some people my mother knew."

"Hakuno, I'm so sorry. I didn't know what had happened to you."

"It's ok. So, let me see if I got this right. Rider kissing me is a sign of affection right? I mean, I would get why Saber is mad but why would Shirou and Rin be mad?"

She hadn't even considered that. From what she had seen, Saber was acting like a mother to Hakuno so her rage would be simple to understand. Shirou and Rin, on the other hand, didn't have a lot of reasons to explain them being upset. Sure, it could be that they wanted to protect Hakuno but then why did they keep this info from Hakuno. 

She couldn't figure out why they would cause so much confusion for Hakuno unless there was something else going on.

"Still, thanks for letting me know. Rider seemed like a nice person. She tried to be threating but I couldn't even try to feel threatened for some reason."

"Wait, she threatened you?"

"Well, trying to. It was the first time we met and she was clearly doing it to keep a rough appearance but I knew if whoever her Master was wanted me dead or captured it would have already been done. It was why I didn't think it was Shinji."

Sakura couldn't help but get a little flustered. She told Rider to not be threatening and she tried anyways. At least with Hakuno, she understood it was an act rather than her being serious. Hopefully, knowing everything will help Hakuno explain to Rin and Shirou what was really going on. 

"It also explains why she kisses me twice."

"I'm just glad to see y-wait twice!?"

Hakuno smiled awkwardly.

"She might have met with me yesterday in secret while me, Saber, Archer, Rin, and Shirou were at the zoo together. That was why I knew about what was going to happen today, even if it didn't go to plan and, before she left, she might have kissed me again."

her hands covered her face to hide how flustered she was. Rider had met with Hakuno without telling her and she kissed her again!? Now Sakura was questioning if Rider had protected Hakuno because she told her to or because she wanted to. Before she could be embarrassed by those thoughts, a voice caught both of their attention.

"Hmmm? What are two girls like yourselves doing out here all alone?"

They both looked up to see a man with golden blond hair and red eyes looking at them. Sakura wasn't sure what to make of him. He didn't seem like he was trying to do anything other than curing his curiosity. She turned to see what Hakuno was thinking only to see Hakuno's nervous face. The man seems to have noticed it too.

"You act like you've seen a ghost, young lady. Is something the matter?"

 

Hakuno had no idea what she was sensing. She had been too focused on her talk with Sakura that she didn't even notice the man walking up to them. The moment she did, her senses felt like just being near the man was nauseating. He felt like a servant but there was something wrong.

He felt so much vile and repulsing than any other servant she had met.

All her instincts and every fiber of her being were telling her to do two things: grab Sakura and get as far away from him as she could. She didn't know why or what was causing her body to act this way. She didn't want to offend him or get Sakura worried if it turned out her nerves were just still a mess from what happened hours earlier but Ghost seem to act like the voice of reason.

'Hakuno, get the girl and back away from that man.'

'Oh, so now you want me to not get kidnapped.'

'Hakuno, if it was any other Master or Servant I would gladly help them instead of you but he is the one exception to that rule.'

'And who is he?'

'You do not want to know. Now listen to my advice and get away from him.'

She refocussed as Sakura was looking at her worried.

"Hakuno? What's wron-"

She didn't let her finish as she grabbed Sakura's hand and kept her behind herself before slowly backing away from the man.

"Come now, no need to get so defensive. I'm simply looking for someone and was wondering you two young ladies could help me."

"We're not interested. Leave us alone."

"A bit rude don't you think? I've haven't done anything yet and you already acting like I'm a monster or something."

Sakura grabbed her arm trying to calm her down.

"Hakuno just calm down. He doesn't seem to be threatening us. Maybe we should help him."

No. They needed to run. They needed to get away from him. If Ghost was the source of her magic and wanted her to escape, then doing what she was thinking of doing shouldn't be a problem. She held Sakura's close as she focused on thinking on Shirou's house. They needed to get there. Arturia and Archer would be there. If the man followed them, they could deal with him. She felt magic swirling around them as the wind created by the swirling energy clearly push the man away before she found herself somewhere else.

 

Gilgamesh had spent the last few days searching all of Fuyuki for the girl she had sensed that night. Sure, at first it was because Kieri wanted to find out the girl's name so they could see if what Gilgamesh sensed had anything to do with the family she was from. 

However as time went on, Gilgamesh wanted to find the girl himself. If she truly did possess Old Magic, in this day and age, she was something to treasure. A girl like herself was something to horde and keep for himself and let no one else enjoy her powers. 

Still, spending day after day without finding anything had started to get annoying and boring fast. He was starting to believe he had just imagined what he sensed the night those two mongrels had visited the church as well as what had happened with the fight with Berserker.

Just as he was beginning to doubt himself, the world acted as if it wanted to prove he was right. In some park he was walking through, he found her. The girl she had sensed as well as another girl and they were simply talking. Neither one seems to have noticed him as he stared from afar and grinning at how easy this seems to be.

Taking the girl would be too easy, too boring. He wanted to see this old magic for himself. So, he didn't try to hide his mana as he wanted to gauge her reaction as well as how well her senses truly were. The fact she turned pale the moment she noticed him proved that her senses were beyond anything a human should have.

He, of course, tried to act like the innocent victim but the girl wasn't a fool. She could sense he was dangerous. Keeping him away as she used her old magic to send herself and the girl she was with somewhere else. All he could do was laugh. The girl actual had old magic. This war was getting more and more interesting by the day.

He figured he would let the priest know about what he had found. He had heard the girl's name from her friend. It only took a moment of waiting for Kirei to answer the phone.

"Gilgamesh. I was wondering what was taking you so long to get back. I assume you found something."

"I found something alright. I found her myself. Her name is Hakuno. I assume you can do something with that?"

"Give me the night and I'm sure I can find something."

"I just hope it isn't something du-"

Gilgamesh cut himself off as two swords stood on both sides of his neck as he looked down at the mongrel who was threatening him. He had no idea who the servant was but he could tell he had been at the church that night along with Hakuno. So, it was likely one of her friends' servants. Kirei clearly knew something was off.

"Is something wrong?"

"Kirei, I will call you back. A mongrel just decided to threaten me."

He hung up the phone as he looked at the man in red.

"You have a lot of nerve threatening me, mongrel."

"I'm going to say this once: Stay away from Hakuno or the loss of your arm will be the least of your concerns this time."


	30. Chapter 30

Archer had kept an eye on Sakura and Hakuno from a distance as the two talked. He was sure Sakura was explaining Hakuno about Rider's affection for her. It was a bit of a surprise when he first heard about Rider reaching out towards Hakuno and Sakura being this active. Then again, he's been making sure to keep a distance from Hakuno. He wasn't sure what Hakuno was like compared to the one from his world.

This entire war was different from the war he had lived through. Arturia had connected to Hakuno more than she ever did during his war, Sakura and Rider had been more active, and then there was Morgan having a stronger and more persistent influence on Hakuno.

That was the part he hated the most: the fact that Hakuno was becoming more alluring in this Grail War than the damn grail itself. She wasn't a fighter. She wasn't a proper mage yet she was dragged into a war that her entire family had hated. It doesn't help Arturia, Rin, and his younger self thought process to protect her was keeping her in the dark about Morgan and Rider's feelings for her.

How easy would it be to go up to her and tell her everything? Tell her who he was, what had happened and how he failed her. That would be the quickest way to make sure she would never end up with his younger self. Save her so much time and pain or, rather, just save her in general. But that would only hurt her. 

Just seeing her and Sakura talking was enough to remind him of that day. He swiftly shoved those thoughts away. He needed to move on. The Hakuno from his world was gone and it's his fault for what happened. The least he could do is either make sure this world version of her never ended up with Shirou or make Shirou give up his stupid dream. 

So far, the ladder is seeming less likely to happen. During his spars with Shirou, he would try and get him to realize how stupid their dream was. Yet, despite his best efforts, he was being stubborn and still believing it's the right thing to do. Archer believed he was a lost cause. He couldn't see what he had in front of him, just as he had done during his life. 

If he can't make Shirou give up on his dreams, then he will have to make sure Hakuno didn't end up with himself. Then again, there was no telling what was going to happen. Morgan being this provocative towards Hakuno was not a good thing for anyone. All the more reason he needed to talk to Arturia about just telling Hakuno the truth. 

He finally decided to take a break from thinking and check on Hakuno, only to see him standing in front of Hakuno and Sakura.

Gilgamesh.

As if this day couldn't get any worse for her, he finds her. The last thing they need is him taking her. Luckily, Hakuno seems to have already figured out he was dangerous and was backing away, with Sakura, from him. He couldn't hear what they are saying but soon enough Hakuno's magic begins to swirl around her keeping Gilgamesh back long enough for Hakuno and Sakura to end up disappearing. Gilgamesh probably doesn't know or is aware of where they went nor did he seem to care as he simply started calling someone. Archer could only guess it was Kirei. 

While Gilgamesh was distracted talking to Kirei, he summoned his two blades before sneaking up on him. He wasn't going to even give Gilgamesh the chance to try and purse Hakuno. Either he would not try and find her or he would die. The moment his blades were at his neck, Gilgamesh finally took notice of him.

"Kieri, I will call you back. A mongrel just decided to threaten me."

Yeah, he was still the same arrogant person as always. Guess that was one thing that remains the same between this world and his. Kieri and Gilgamesh were still as twisted as ever. He turned to face Archer as he stared back. 

"You have a lot of nerve threatening me, mongrel."

"I'm going to say this once: Stay away from Hakuno or the loss of your arm will be the least of your concerns." 

"Oh? Have we met before mongrel? I believe I would have remembered a faker like you."

"Let's just say I know of things yet to come. Things you might not get to see if you get to try to find Hakuno again."

"If what you claim is true, then you should know I can end you without a second thought." 

The area around him got filled with a golden glow as several portals opened up. Archer knew all about his Gates of Babylon. They wouldn't be able to save him.

"You sure your Gates are faster than me? The moment a single sword is fired I'm going clean through your neck. I'll die but Hakuno will be safe from you."

The King of Heroes just stared at him. He was angry and Archer was glad he was. Considering how he almost killed Hakuno in his world, being forced to submit and give up trying to chase Hakuno is the most satisfying thing Archer could do. Gilgamesh sighed as his gates disappeared. 

"Do not think this means you've won, mongrel. Sooner or later she'll end up with me."

"Will have to be after I'm dead. I imagine Saber will be the same once she finds out you're still around."

He just stared at him with fury as he left the park. Leaving Archer to himself. However, what few moments of silence he could have had was quickly interrupted by his Master.

"Archer! What happened with Hakuno?! Why did she just appear at Shirou's place with Sakura and why is she so terrified!?"


	31. Chapter 31

Arturia, for the first time since she had been summoned, did not feel like eating. She, along with Shirou and Rin, sat at the table. Shirou and Rin still ate but it was clear that none of them were happy with themselves. Taiga, when she came to eat dinner, realized this quickly and took her food home and left them alone.

She was so upset with herself. The way Hakuno had reacted and the fact that she didn't try and calm the situation just made her shame hurt more. Rin had checked in with Archer a few times and, from what Archer had told Rin, Sakura was with Hakuno. So at least Arturia didn't have to worry about Morgan taking advantage.

This whole keeping Hakuno in the dark had become a bad idea. Not just by keeping the info that the Ghost she was being affected by was Morgan but also what Rider did mean and why they were upset about it. The one thing they all agree on was that, when Hakuno was ready to talk, they wouldn't hide anything anymore. They would tell her everything. 

Archer was right. Hakuno had dealt with being alone, learning to live and survive on her, and dealing with Morgan own for a decade. She didn't need them protecting her from the truth. 

Just as Arturia was finally going to try and eat something, she felt Hakuno magic suddenly appear as they all heard a crash noise coming from the room Hakuno slept in. Rin and Shirou both looked confused as Arturia got up to go see who it was.

To her surprised, Hakuno and Sakura were on the floor as Sakura was looking around.

"Hold on, this is Shirou's house. How are we here Hakuno? We were just in the park and now we are here."

Arturia could only guess it was Hakuno's magic that brought them here. Still, why did she bring them here in such an abnormal way? She was going to ask Hakuno only to notice Hakuno was shivering. She found it odd due to the room not being that cold. She looked at Hakuno.

"Hakuno? Are you ok?"

"A-Arturia...There was someone at the park. H-he felt wrong." 

Hakuno tried to stand up only for her to stumble and end up against the wall as Arturia ran over to help her. She could tell Hakuno had used her magic in a panic and overdone whatever spell she used. Sakura was in a similar state but, clearly, she was hiding it better than Hakuno was. Rin and Shirou came to check on what was going on only to be shocked by the scene.

"Hakuno!? Sakura!? When did you two get here?"

"Ummm, just now I guess. Hakuno got worried about this guy at the park. He didn't seem bad but Hakuno started acting weird."

Arturia just looked at Sakura. She couldn't help but feel like Sakura knew more than she was letting on but, considering what happened with Rider, she would trust Sakura to tell them all later as now wasn't the time to try and get the truth from her.

"What guy?"

"Some guy with blond hair and red eyes that kinda looked odd."

Arturia froze the moment Sakura gave the description of the person. She didn't want to believe it was him but she couldn't help but fear the worst. They needed to check on Archer.

"Rin, check in on Archer now!"

"Right."

Rin left to go talk to Archer as they can hear her yelling asking what had happened as she wrapped her arms around Hakuno trying to calm her down.

"Hakuno, it's alright. He isn't going to hurt you."

"Arturia, Ghost even knew the guy was dangerous. She told me that, in any other case, she would rather help get me kidnapped than help me but he was the one exception."

Arturia's fear only got stronger with that comment. She didn't like the idea of Morgan and Hakuno talking but she liked the idea of Morgan having helped or letting Gilgamesh kidnapped Hakuno even worst. It seems that, despite being as evil as she was, she was no fool. She could understand and see Gilgamesh as a threat to Hakuno.

Shirou was curious about the whole situation.

"Wait, you know who he is?"

"Sadly yes. He was a servant during the 4th Grail War. He and I were the last 2 servants of the war before the war got ended prematurely. His name is Gilgamesh."

"How did that happen?"

Arturia bit her tongue a little, remembering Shirou's story. She figured today was not a good day for any more depressing stuff. Hakuno was in bad shape as it was. She looked at everyone.

"Perhaps we should talk about all this in the morning. School is going to be closed for a few days as they tried to figure out what happened so it gives us plenty of time for answers.

Everyone seems to agree and Rin return.

"Archer is going to make sure he isn't followed but, from what he told me, he dealt with Gilgamesh."

"What does he mean by 'dealt' exactly? I doubt he managed to kill Gilgamesh on his own."

"Not sure. He just said we shouldn't have to worry about him trying to find Hakuno again."

She thought back to how the King of Heroes had acted in the 4th Grail War. She couldn't help but doubt he would have changed so much over the past decade that he would give up on something he wanted so easily. Archer must have put Gilgamesh in a position he couldn't refuse a deal made. A part of her was impressed by that but the rest questioned it because, if Archer had done something like that with such ease, he must have known Gilgamesh from when he lived. 

The issue was, that would mean he wouldn't have met any Kishinamis if that was the case. She just keeps ending up with questions about who this man was and what his connection to Hakuno's family was. Nothing he had said about them were lies so he had to have learned them somehow.

She put those thoughts away as Hakuno seems to have finally calmed down. She wanted to try and make up for earlier.

"Hakuno, I'm sorry about not trusting you with Rider. We all are. We shouldn't have assumed it was her when she has done nothing to harm you."

Hakuno looked at her and smiled.

"It's ok. Sakura explained to me the whole situation with Rider. You guys had every reason to be made."

She just blinked trying to make sure she heard Hakuno correct. Once she did, she looked at Sakura as she simply smiled awkwardly. Arturia sighed a bit in relief. Hakuno must have figured out on the Master not being Shinji. Rin and Shirou both looked shocked at Sakura. They probably had several questions but Hakuno cut them off from asking.

"Hey, Arturia said we can all open up tomorrow. It's been a long and stressful day let's not make it any worst."

She couldn't help but chuckle a little. Both of them sighed in defeat and, after a few minutes, the room was empty aside from herself and Hakuno who was getting ready for bed. She noticed the bandages on her shoulder and Hakuno simply said Sakura had patched her up back at her house before they went out for ice cream. She couldn't help but sense a bit of sisterly bond between Hakuno and Sakura. 

Once Hakuno was ready for bed, she laid down with her and wrapped her arms around Hakuno. Tomorrow, she would tell her about Morgan. She was worried that Hakuno knowing the truth would only make Morgan powerful but she was beginning to think that Hakuno's lack of information was what gave Morgan power. If Hakuno knew, she would be smart enough to know how to handle her. She was the first to fall asleep, however, her sleep would not last long.

 

Hakuno simply stared at the ceiling for what felt like hours. She couldn't sleep. Maybe it was her nerves still messed up over Gilgamesh or still feeling a bit hurt by the loss of Rider but she was unable to sleep. She knew Arturia was fast asleep at this point and it would be hard to get out of her grip. 

So, despite how bad of an idea it sounded, she closed her eyes and tried to fall asleep. She found herself finally able as she drifted into dreams. She, sadly, would end up regretting it. 

She opened her eyes as she looked around. She was at a temple, from what she could tell, as she could see Shirou in front of her but the other man was someone she was hoping she wouldn't see again. The same man from the park. The man Arturia called Gilgamesh.

Hakuno tried to calm herself and think it was just a dream. The issue was, everything felt real so it was hard to make herself think it wasn't. She didn't get a chance to think much about what was going on as the scene quickly changed to what she could assume was after the fight as Shirou seem to have Gilgamesh defeated. Or someone else had. She wasn't too sure but Shirou was standing in front of Gilgamesh about to finish him off as a weird portal thing open up behind him.

She was afraid of him about to strike Shirou but she soon realized it wasn't pointed at him. It was pointed at her. Everything else happened in a flash, Shirou turning to her and yelling something, something flying at her only to met with intense pain as she woke up and quickly sat up.

What did she just see!? Was it real or just a nightmare she had!? If it was just a dream, why did she feel like she was in actual pain? She looked at herself and saw she was fine but she felt whatever Gilgamesh did. Sadly in her shock and scared state, she woke Arturia up as she looked at her.

"Hakuno? Is everything alright?"

She didn't want to try and explain what happened or even think about what she had felt. So, she was honest about what she thought it was.

"Sorry, Arturia. It was just a nightmare is all."

She had hoped that would be enough to get Arturia to fall back asleep but instead, she sat up next to Hakuno.

"What was it about?"

"I rather not talk about it. It's just a bad dream Arturia I'm fine."

"Hakuno..."

Arturia wrapped her arms around her and hugged her for a bit. Hakuno couldn't help but start feeling better after a while. Arturia, seemingly sensing she was feeling better, let go as she got up and got dressed confusing Hakuno as it was still night.

"Arturia? Where are you going?"

"I'm going to go get you some sweets."

"Arturia you don't have to. Plus, it's the middle of the night. I doubt you will find a place."

Arturia walked over to her and pat her head.

"There's a convenience store not too far from here that is open late. Plus, you've been through a lot the past few days and it's clearly starting to take a toll on you."

She sighed in defeat. She couldn't argue she could go for some sweets atm. Maybe having them would help ease her mind about everything she was worried about. 

"My card is in my bag. Try not to be too long in case Shirou and Rin wake up and they get worried about not sensing you close by."

Arturia smiled as she went to her bag and got the card Hakuno used to buy Arturia's clothes as she quickly but swiftly left the room as Hakuno could sense Arturia moving away in the direction of the convenience store she mentioned as she stood up and walked outside to get a breath of fresh air. She hoped it would help calm her nerves as she waited for Arturia to get back.

She couldn't help but feel a bit odd as she stood looking at the sky. She rubbed the back of her neck as she felt her awareness going away as she felt herself falling only to be caught by someone.

"This is why it's always good to have a plan b. Glad those other effects I enhanced Souichirou with along with that paralysis effect ended up getting used."

She was barely aware of what was going on. She could only guess what had happened and it made her wonder if the world honestly had it out for her.


	32. Chapter 32

Arturia probably should have asked what Hakuno liked for sweets for she left. She had such a hard time picking out something for her due to how many they had. She ended up getting a variety of sweets for her since Hakuno said she never had to worry about having funds. Hopefully, she'll be able to tell what Hakuno ends up liking and she'll know what to get Hakuno next time.

She found it odd she was thinking about such things when she should be focused on the war. Then again, she didn't expect to end up being summoned and finding out there she had a descendant who's ancestor was responsible for creating her stories. 

More importantly, she didn't expect to have to deal with Morgan once again. 

She had no idea how she was going to get Morgan out of Hakuno. She couldn't be with Hakuno always and, once this war is over, she would have to leave. She had Shirou, Rin, and Sakura but Morgan was her problem. She couldn't know for sure but she knew Morgan was doing this to Hakuno to spite Arturia.

Once she tells Hakuno the truth tomorrow, maybe she could get Hakuno to talk about what Morgan has spoken to her about. She was still curious about what Morgan had said to her to cause her to unable to hear them. It was clearly something that affected Hakuno.

As she was almost back to Shirou's place, she felt a servant nearby. She knew it wasn't Archer meaning someone else had found them. She picked the pace only to see the servant floating above Shirou's place as they had Hakuno floating unconscious next to them. 

"Hakuno!"

The servant turned to see her and smiled.

"Ahhh, Saber. So nice of you to get back just in time. I was hoping I could get a chance to talk to you."

"Let her go! She has nothing to do with this war!"

"That I have to disagree with. In fact, I believe she is more interesting than this war itself."

She put the bags she was carrying down as she prepared to fight. She wasn't going to let anyone take Hakuno. However, the servant had different ideas.

"Calm yourself, Saber. The reason I wish to talk to you was that I was hoping to make a deal with you."

"Deal?"

"Join me. I sensed your fight against Berserker as well as the power of Hakuno. If she was your master instead of the weak mage you call a Master, you would have no issue defeating Berserker."

"How can you be so sure?"

"You and Archer combined weren't able to take them down. With Rider gone, Lancer who knows where, and Assassin on my side, you're options are limited as to how you can take down Berserker."

At least she knew what class she was. Caster clearly was trying to strike a deal. She could argue that she exactly had faith that she and Archer alone could take on Berserker. Especially since both of them barely made a dent in the servant and, if not for Hakuno, she would likely be dead. Caster continued.

"I am also aware of being inside Hakuno's mind."

"How did you-"

"Saber, have you truly not figured out how? I was hoping you would have at least realized something was off with that place you visited a day ago."

She remembered what Caster was referring to. The fortune teller place. It felt off to both of them but neither one really thought about it. Now she knew why the place felt off. Caster was the fortune teller. 

"It was you who was causing the two of us to sense something off."

"Whoever is in Hakuno's head is wicked and that says a lot coming from me. So, let me add a bit more to the deal. You agree to let me break your contract, you can contract with Hakuno, so long as you follow my orders, and I'll see if I can't get whoever has dug themselves into her head out. You help me take down Berserker and your master's friend gets freed from whoever is trying to take control. My Master told me something was off when they somehow manage to stand up, despite the paralysis effects still being in effect. All he could see was her eyes had changed to green."

Her fears about Morgan reached a breaking point. She must have almost completely taken Hakuno over at the school. Why else would her eyes change? If that was the case, she needed to get Morgan out of Hakuno soon. Caster would likely be her best chance to do so. 

However, that would mean betraying Shirou and Rin. Hakuno wouldn't have been happy with the decision. Plus if she does contract with Hakuno, that would only make Hakuno even more of a target. She wouldn't be able to keep Hakuno safe considering how things have been going.

She was at a crossroads. She either chose Hakuno and betrayed her master or choose her master and leave Hakuno in the hands of Caster. She liked neither one but she needed to make the choice regardless. Her honor as a knight or the safety of her only remaining living kin. 

"The offer still stands but, I believe I will take Hakuno back to my place. If you wish to get her back, I suggest you follow."

She heard Caster laughing as she started to head off in a direction but clearly going slow enough that Saber could follow. She should have gone and wake Shirou and Rin up or try to get Archer but she wasn't going to let Hakuno get captured. She turned and followed Caster. Leaving behind the bag of sweets she had gotten for Hakuno.


	33. Chapter 33

Caster knew Saber would be hard to get to her side. She was clearly a knight and had her honor, however, Hakuno was clearly important to her. She wasn't sure why though. She wasn't Saber's master. She knew she and Saber's master were friends but there wasn't much else beyond it. 

It was a bit of a risk to lead Saber back to her base but, if her plans went all accordingly, she'll have Saber obeying her before the sun rises. Maybe she could get Saber to tell her who Hakuno is to her and why does she care so much about a girl she should not have care at all for.

Then there was also the woman occupying Hakuno's mind. Whoever she was, Saber clearly knew and was worried once she had brought up them and how close they came to taking Hakuno over, according to her Master. If she can get Saber on her side, then things would be much easier to deal with.

All Assassin would have to do is wear her down to the point where she gets desperate. Once she is desperate, she'll likely cave in and join them in order to protect Hakuno. She'll even make it clear they will wait to deal with Archer last if she had to make the deal even sweeter.

If it cost her Assassin then that was a cost she will make. She was going to need her and Hakuno if they had any hopes of taking down Berserker. Saber knew it, she just wasn't desperate enough to realize it. 

 

Arturia continued to follow Caster until the floated towards a temple. She had no idea why Caster was allowing her to find, what Arturia could only assume was, her base.

However, her mind was focused on what Caster had said. Morgan almost had control of Hakuno during the fight at the school, at least that is what she can guess. If that was true, they didn't have much time left before Morgan gains control of Hakuno completely. 

She couldn't help but want to accept Caster's deal. If Caster could get Morgan out of Hakuno then she wouldn't have to worry about losing Hakuno. Plus, she was right about Arturia not being sure about them alone being enough to take down Berserker. Even if they could find Lancer and get his help, Saber didn't believe it would be enough.

Shirou and Rin would likely be upset at first but they'd understand once they found out what had happened. She knew they would get why Saber betrayed them. However, she couldn't accept the idea of Hakuno being alright with the idea. Hakuno would likely be upset if she found out she had betrayed her friends just to save her. 

She ended up running up the steps of the temple. Soon enough, she saw Caster sitting atop of the gate for the temple as she still had Hakuno unconscious. Standing in front of the gate, was another servant. She could only guess this was the Assassin servant Caster had spoken of. 

"Ahh, you must be Saber then. I do hope you intended her to follow you, Caster."

"Why else would she be here if I didn't intend to be followed? As for you Saber, have you thought about my proposal?"

Saber didn't know how to answer. She failed someone regardless of her choice. Assassin started walking down to the steps to a small landing.

"Assassin, remember the plan. Leave her alive."

"I intend to. Let's just hope this plan of yours doesn't backfire."

Arturia barely had time to prepare herself as Assassin struck at her. If she had to defeat Assassin to get to Caster, then she'll just have to do so.

 

Caster simply watched as the two began to fight. She had never been interested in simply fights so she kept one eye on the fight as she used the other to look at Hakuno. 

This girl was radiating with Old Magic. Just a bit of it would be enough to keep Medea from worrying about tapping into Leylines or harvesting mana from civilians. With Hakuno, Medea could do so many things. 

With all that in mind, she was still a bit curious as to who this girl was. The last time she tried to look into her mind for information, that forced caught her off guard. This time, she was more prepared as she pulled Hakuno to her and began to search her mind.

and she was surprised at what she found out.

She learned about Hakuno's family lineage, the secrets they kept, and even about how she got old magic. This one girl grew up without anyone who really cared about her. The one thing she couldn't figure out is why Saber seemed to care so much but she quickly understood the moment she understood who Hakuno was.

It was also this understanding she starting thinking of a backup plan for if Saber didn't join them.

She would need some time to think about it but she was already smirking at the idea she had come up with. Unfortunately, her good moment didn't last as Saber and Assassin's fight got interrupted as two swords came and stop the fight between Saber and Assassin. Soon enough, the owner of the sword stood between Saber and Assassin, looking straight at her.

"Ahhh, you must be Archer then. Very odd for a bowman to be using swords."

He ignored her and looked back at Saber.

"We need to fall back."

"And leave Hakuno behind!? Archer have you lost your mind!?"

"Believe me I don't like the idea of leaving her with anyone but Caster has you conflicted." 

Saber was clearly going to argue with him but he grabbed Saber and pulled her away as they left. Assassin sighed a bit disappointed.

"Seems your plan didn't pan out. Now they both know where we are at. So, why is it you're smiling and happy about it."

"I can assure you Assassin, it's not that I'm smiling about. It's something else."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"I need a few hours to think about it. By Morning, I should have the entire thing planned out." 

And she'll have it all planned out. She almost won Saber over on her deal. All she needed to do is give Saber the right amount of force she needed to commit. She just needed a place to set it up as well as something special. She had the special thing already, she planned to give it to Saber to wear but it seems like it would end up being used for something else.

That just left the place and she had the perfect place for this 'push' in the right direction to happen. It just needed to be cleared out, something her Master had suggested they do. Today was going to be a long but productive day. Before she could think anymore she heard a voice, similar to the voice she heard the day before.

"You really don't know how to mind you're own business. Since you like making deals though let me offer you mine. Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you myself."


	34. Chapter 34

Morgan was not happy to wake up and find someone else trying to torment Arturia. Perhaps, she was being a bit selfish but Arturia was hers to torment. Unfortunately just as she had begun to finally be able to take control, this witch of a servant has gone and spoiled how close she was to Arturia. 

Caster had gone and possibly put everything in jeopardy simply because she needed Arturia's help. Morgan was lucky Archer didn't let Arturia answer and Caster seemed to have a change of plans but she wasn't going to allow what Caster did stand.

She didn't have long before Hakuno would wake up and try to take back control. Whatever Caster did, had completely caused Hakuno to blackout, leaving her the chance to have control and get to speak with the Caster who seems to not know how to mind her own business. She slowly got up in Hakuno's body and looked at Caster.

"You really don't know how to mind you're own business. Since you like making deals though let me offer you mine. Give me one good reason I shouldn't kill you myself."

Caster quickly turned to see her and looked shocked at the fact she was even up. She quickly collected herself and tried to act tough.

"Ahhh, you must be Morgan then."

"And you're a Caster who can't keep her nose out of business it doesn't belong in. How about we cut the pleasantries and get to the part you try and offer me a deal in exchange for not killing you."

Assassin looked ready to attack but Medea simply held her hand up and looked at her.

"You don't sound pleased with me. You do know I made those deals out of necessity and not of trying to mess with you."

"Do I look like I care? Tormenting Saber is my thing. Mine. I've been doing it way before she died and I'll be the only one to do so till I completely ruined her."

"Oh? So you two know-"

Caster stop mid-sentence as her mind processed what Morgan had just said before she began to laugh.

"Now it all makes sense! Why she cares so much for Hakuno, why she is so afraid of you, and why you're in Hakuno's head."

"Congrats. How much of that did you find out by cheating and looking through Hakuno's head?"

"Oh come now as if you wouldn't do the same."

"If the next thing you say isn't you trying to make a deal, then this entire temple is getting leveled."

There was complete silence for a moment before Caster responded.

"You wouldn't."

"You saw what Hakuno, with her very limited knowledge of magic, could do. Imagine what I can do with complete control."

Caster frown and took a moment to think as Morgan kept an eye on Assassin. If he tried anything, she was leveling this place and killing both servants. There was no if she could or not. She would and she will. Caster finally commented. 

"Well, what if we could make Saber be with Hakuno?"

"That is the exact opposite of what I-"

"Let me finish. I can see why, even though you won, you lost against Saber during your life."

"And I can see why Jason left you on an island but do go on."

Caster just snarled at her. She knew she struck a nerve there. When Caster was searching through Hakuno's mind, she took a peek at Caster's and found out who she was. The Witch of Betrayal, Medea. She was glad Arturia didn't join Medea. No one should trust her. Even if she had a deal with Medea, she would still not trust her.

"Well, what if we could force Saber to marry Hakuno."

"....go on."

"She would never forgive herself for forcing herself onto Hakuno and her honor as a knight would be ruined."

Oh, now Medea was talking her language. Still, Hakuno had feelings for Shirou and Rin. They would have to deal with those issues first.

"We would have to take care of Shirou and Rin."

"My Master can easily despatch both of them. Have Hakuno see them and I imagine Hakuno wouldn't have much left. Though the issue is Saber."

"If I can get control of Hakuno, then one kiss would be all I need to make her mine as well." 

"See, there is no need for us to be aggressive against each other. We want the same thing."

"You want to live your life as a faithful wife to your Master, I want to ruin my sister and stick it to my backstabbing daughter. Hakuno is my ticket to both. Our goals are completely different." 

"You looked into my mind when I looked into Hakuno's, didn't you?"

"You left yourself wide open. As they say, don't do unto others what you don't want to be done to yourself."

It was clear their alliance was not a stable one but it would work until Berserker is done. After that, Morgan would deal with Caster and Assassin and then all that would be left is dealing with Lancer. She knew Gilgamesh wasn't a servant in the war so, if she could avoid him and get the grail, she would be free to do whatever she wanted. 

Sadly, her moment could not last as she started to feel Hakuno beginning to regain her subconsciousness.

"Unfortunately, my time to chat is running out. Hakuno is slowly regaining her subconscious awareness. She'll sense me and wake up. Remember if you betray me, entire temple leveled."

"Oh, I will stand by my side of the deal."

She nodded as she slowly let go of control as Medea caught Hakuno's body. As much as she disliked working with Medea, it was her best chance at getting both Hakuno and Arturia. She'll just have to deal with the annoyance for now. Their time will come. 

 

Medea wasn't exactly happy of having to make a deal with Morgan but, in the end, it worked out. She knew Saber's true identity, even if Morgan knew hers. She had Morgan's help for her plan. All she needs now is to get everything ready. 

Assassin, on the other hand, still looked a bit confused about the whole situation.

"I've never seen two vile women fought before. I thought it would be more interesting."

"As much as I would love to simply torture you Assassin, I do not have the time to do so. Make sure Saber and Archer don't get in."

Assassin nodded as Medea took Hakuno into the temple and into a guest bedroom. She hooked Hakuno up to some wires to prevent her from leaving but to also drain her of her mana. Once Medea felt a good amount, she began to start work on something special to ensure Hakuno, despite how much would be against it, obeyed what she was told to do. She needed to be on her best behavior for her special day after all.


	35. Chapter 35

"We just left Hakuno with them!?"

Archer just stared at Arturia who was furious with him. After everyone had gone to bed, he went to the Church to deal with Gilgamesh and Kirei. He knew all too well what trouble thought two would cause if they were left alone. No one would miss them if they were found dead. Knowing Lancer, he'd probably thank him for it.

However, once he got there, he found the place abandoned. No Kirei, no Gilgamesh, no Lancer. No one. He tried to find any clues as to if they were already dead or, if not dead, where they went but there was nothing. Archer wanted to believe Gilgamesh probably came back, told Kirei what happened, and Kirei decided to kill Lancer or just have Lancer kill himself and they just left not wanting to get caught.

But Archer knew he wasn't that lucky to scare Gilgamesh and Kirei off like that. 

Without any way to find them or see where they went, Archer headed back to his house. As he was about to head inside, he found a bag full of sweets simply laying against the door. He didn't need to even think about why as he turned into spirit form and went to Hakuno and Saber's room, only to find them both gone.

"I leave for a few hours and you're both gone. I swear this war is starting to become more of a pain than a good thing."

He kept his voice low enough to not wake anyone was he headed out. He knew there was only one group that would take Hakuno. With Gilgamesh, Kirei, and Lancer missing, that left one group to try and take Hakuno. The same people that tried to take Hakuno earlier that day and he knew where they would be.

Within a few minutes, he was at the temple where he sensed Arturia fighting Assassin. She was clearly conflicted during the fight as she should be able to take down Assassin easily if she truly wanted to. He could only guess that Caster had tried to offer Arturia some deal and clearly Arturia wanted to go for it. He wasn't going to let that happen.

Now, after getting Arturia and retreating, they stood staring down each other down as Arturia looked ready to kill him.

"We'll get her back Arturia but you need to calm down.

"Do not tell me to calm down Archer. You have no reason to care about Hakuno."

He wanted to tell her she was wrong but he stopped himself as Arturia continued.

"Archer I don't have a choice but to join them. It may be the only chance I have at getting Morgan out of Hakuno."

"We can find another way Arturia but betraying Shirou is something you would never be able to live down."

"You don't know how close Morgan is to taking Hakuno over completely."

What was she talking about? The most Morgan had done was zone Hakuno out for a few minutes. She couldn't be that close to a full take over.

"Caster's Master saw Hakuno's eyes turn green. Despite her being under a paralysis spell, she managed to stand up. And before you say Caster could be lying, she described it in such details that would be impossible to make up unless she knew prior which I doubt she did. She doesn't know it was Morgan in Hakuno's head, just knows it's someone."

Archer just stands there unable to say anything. Morgan was that close?! They didn't have time then, they needed to get Morgan either sealed away again or get her out of Hakuno's head. However, this wasn't the way to go about it. Hakuno would never be able to forgive herself if Arturia had to betray Shirou because of her.

"Look Arturia you need to think about Hakuno-"

"Why do you even care? Wouldn't I becoming your enemy be easier for you and Rin? You don't have any reason to care about Hakuno's well being."

"You're wrong."

"Then tell me why? Why would you, someone who knew one of Hakuno's ancestors but died before making anything out of it, care about Hakuno? You have nothing to gain from helping Hakuno."

"Arturia stop. You do not want to know the truth."

"No. I do. I want to know why exactly you're so invested in Hakuno. What did that ancestor do that made you care so much?"

He stayed silent. It was taking every fiber to not simply tell Arturia the truth. Then again, maybe if he told her, she could help him either get Shirou to give up his dream or get Hakuno to stop being in love with him. She was someone they would both listen to. Arturia started walking past him heading towards the temple.

"Please apologize to Shirou on my behalf. He may be my Master but Hakuno is my family and I'm not going to give up the family again as I did with Mordred."

Archer grabbed her wrist. He had no choice. It was the only option to stop Arturia from going to Caster and joining her.

"Shirou's dream is what gets Hakuno killed."

Arturia was silent. He could tell she was speechless at the statement as so many questions was probably running through her head. He was to focus on what she would say as well as their argument he never sensed them approaching until he heard his voice.

"What do you mean my dream gets Hakuno killed?" 

He and Arturia both looked behind them as they saw Rin, Shirou, and Sakura standing there as they all looked confused. Rin simply asked them, after not seeing her.

"Archer what do you mean by that? Also, where's Hakuno? Why is she not with you Saber?"

Neither himself or Artura was not going to enjoy breaking the news to them and he wasn't looking forward to having this conversation about who he was. Regardless of if he liked or not, it was something Shirou needed to hear.


	36. Chapter 36

Rin couldn't help but still feel awful about what had happened at the school earlier. Sure, Hakuno forgave them for what had happened but that didn't make her feel about better about doing it. She and Shirou should have explained it to Hakuno rather than Sakura having to. She was still shocked that Sakura actually did.

Sakura ended up explaining everything to them shortly after they left Hakuno's room and she was at least relieved to know Rider's affection, as forceful as she may have been, was genuine and not something she or Shinji order. Apparently, Shinji could control Rider with some book he had but once Sakura found out about Hakuno she made sure Rider only followed her orders. 

Now, she found herself awake in the middle of the night. Having awoken from a plain dream and unable to go back to sleep due to her guilt eating at her. She didn't get why she felt so guilty about what she said to Hakuno. She did, however, figured the best way to stop feeling guilty would be to talk to Hakuno.

She got up and went to Hakuno's room as she slowly started opening the door. She didn't want to wake Arturia up. Her immediate instinct would probably be to attack Rin. If she couldn't get Hakuno to wake up, she would just wait till the morning to talk to her about it.

However, she opened the door to see the room empty. Neither Arturia nor Hakuno was in their bed asleep or outside talking. All it took for a moment of thought for Rin to assume the worst as she went to Shirou's room and started shaking him all the while she tried to get in contact with Archer but to no avail. Soon enough, Shirou started waking up as he just looked at her confused.

"Rin? What are you doing? It's still night so why the panic look?"

"Hakuno and Saber are gone."

Those words alone got Shirou wide awake as he sat up.

"What do you mean they're gone?"

"I mean they're not in their room sleeping. I thought they might have been outside because the door leading to the back was open but they weren't there either. I tried contacting Archer but he didn't say anything."

"Do you know where he is?"

"The best I could tell was he was in the direction of Ryuudou Temple. I imagine whoever took Hakuno went in that direction, Arturia will be there as well."

He nodded as she left his room and went to get change. Sakura ended up coming in looking a bit confused but she quickly realized what must have happened and started to leave her room but she stopped her.

"Sakura, you don't need to come with us. You'll be safer here."

"I'm not going to sit idly by while Hakuno is in danger. Rider died trying to keep her safe. I would be doing her a disservice by not doing anything. Plus, if Hakuno was here and one of you two got captured instead, she wouldn't try to keep me out of it."

Rin couldn't help but sigh at what Sakura had said. As much as she hated to admit it, she was right. 

"Fine just try not to do anything reckless. We have Hakuno for that already."

Sakura just smiled as she quickly went to get ready. After about 10 minutes, they all were ready and headed out towards the temple. It took them a while but they managed to reach the place only to see Arturia and Archer talking but there was no Hakuno to been seen or heard of. She wondered what had happened but her mind immediately changed once she heard Archer speak those words.

"Shirou's dream is what gets Hakuno killed."

Shirou and Sakura heard this too as they were all shocked to hear it. What did Archer mean by that? How could Shirou's dream get Hakuno killed? Why did he act as he knows it because he's seen it himself? She wanted to ask these questions but Shirou beat her to it.

"What do you mean my dream gets Hakuno killed?"

Arturia and Archer turned towards them as they both looked surprised to see them. She could only guess that neither one had sensed them approaching. If they were too busy to not notice, something had to be wrong. She wanted to know what Archer meant but also wanted to know where Hakuno was.

"Archer what do you mean by that? Also, where's Hakuno? Why is she not with you, Arturia?"

The two were silent for a moment before Arturia confirmed her fears.

"Caster has Hakuno."

The 3 were silent after hearing the news. She could only guess they were here because Caster was hiding out at the temple. Before she could do anything Archer stopped her.

"Rin, no."

"What do you mean no? You suggesting we leave her with Caster?"

"I"m suggesting you don't put your life at risk and make Hakuno stress to the point Morgan can take completely over."

"Huh?"

Before Archer could speak anymore Arturia stepped in.

"During the attack at the school, Morgan almost got control of Hakuno. Caster said her Master saw Hakuno's eyes turning green. I can only guess that was when Morgan had control over Hakuno's body."

"So, what do we do?"

Arturia stayed silent. None of them had any idea of what to do or how to stop Morgan. Even if they got Hakuno back, how long would it be before Morgan took over? As bad as Archer was being right now, they needed to try and find a way to get the two separated. Shiro asked Archer something.

"I take it you have an idea of where we could find something that could help."

"One idea, for sure. There was one old chest that the Kishinami's could never open. No one ever managed to open it as it was made to be open by one person. If I had to guess, that person is you Arturia."

Arturia looked at him.

"How can you be so sure?"

"Who else could it be besides you? It's a long shot but, as far as I know, it's the only possible thing that might have something to deal with Morgan."

"And this whole thing about Shirou's dream getting Hakuno killed? You going to explain that to us or what?"

He stayed silent as she could feel herself getting frustrated. He told us yesterday to not make assumptions yet here he was doing the same thing. Unless he already knows but how could he know something that has yet to happen? She wanted to say more but Shirou spoke up looking at her.

"You, Sakura and Arturia go to Hakuno's house and try to find out what is in that chest."

"What about you and Archer?"

"I guess me and him need to have a talk alone."

Archer just smirked at Shirou. She had no idea what was going on and it was getting on her nerves. Still, if anyone should confront Archer about this it should be him.

"We'll see you guys back at the house then."

She looked at Arturia as Arturia walked past Shirou and Archer as the three of them headed to Hakuno's house. She could tell Arturia was worried sick about Hakuno. Sakura tried to reassure her.

"Arturia, Hakuno's going to be fine."

"I shouldn't have gone out and gotten her sweets. If I stayed, she wouldn't have gotten taken."

"Wait, sweets?"

She was a bit curious too. They had noticed the bag of sweets and she put them inside so they wouldn't get taken but she didn't know who or how the sweet got there, to begin with. Arturia continued on.

"Hakuno had a nightmare last night. I could only guess it was caused by all of the stress she's been dealing with considering how the past few days have been for her. I hoped sweets would make her feel well enough to make tell me about the nightmare."

"So while you were away, Caster came and took Hakuno?"

She nodded. At least they knew were Arturia was when Hakuno got captured but that left with the question of where Archer was when that happened. She couldn't blame Arturia for wanting to help Hakuno and I imagine Caster would have taken Hakuno, even if she had gone with Arturia. 

Soon enough, they arrived at Hakuno's house as the sun started to come up. Arturia, using a spare key Hakuno gave to her, open the door and walked inside as they followed her inside and up into the attic. Arturia looked around for a chest as Sakura and herself simply stared at everything that was up in the attic.

She did admit she was surprised to see all the stuff Hakuno's family had kept. The place was filled with old swords, shields, spears anything one would associate with Arturia's time, there was likely something in the attic to be found. Arturia waved them over once she found the chest Archer likely mentioned.

She and Sakura walked over as Arturia was looking at the chest itself. It was dusty yet it didn't look old. It still looked prestige as well as the metal decor kept the same shine instead of rusted with age. The lock itself was a simple padlock. The surprise, however, was that the moment Arturia touched it the lock disappeared. 

"So, the lock was made of magic? Arturia you think Alexandra could have kept this chest for you?"

"Only one way to find out."

She started opening the chest as Sakura and Rin both looked surprised to find that the only thing in the chest was a sword. It looked beautiful but she wasn't sure how a sword could help deal with Morgan. Arturia, on the other hand, looked shocked as she slowly picked up the sword.

"I don't believe it. For a moment, I thought it was just a cheap replica but it's actually is real."

"Arturia what are you talking about?"

She turned to both of them

"Rin, this isn't some fancy looking sword. This sword is Caliburn."

She and Sakura simply stared in silence from hearing the news.


	37. Chapter 37

Arturia remembered how she lost Caliburn. She was ambushed and, during the fight, broke the rules of chivalry and ended up breaking the sword, causing it to be lost. While she did get Excalibur and Avalon to replace Caliburn, she always had a stronger attachment to the sword.

So to say she was surprised to see the sword let alone the sword being in one piece would be an understatement. She hardly could believe it. Caliburn should have been lost and, yet, here it was. Left in a chest that, according to Archer, only she could have opened.

Sakura and Rin still found it hard to believe that it could be true. She didn't blame them. Even while holding and feeling the power radiate from it, she felt like she was dreaming. Sakura was the one to ask her about it.

"Is it really Caliburn? I thought the sword got destroyed or was lost."

"I can understand both yours and Rin's disbelief but I can assure you this is Caliburn."

They both looked at each other and looked back at her.

"Ok but how? The sword was lost, right? How could someone find it, put it back together, and keep it in a chest that Hakuno's family kept for who knows how long without the world finding out about it?"

That was something she couldn't answer for Rin. Sure, the chest seemed to have been made to where only she could open it but, surely, someone had tried to sense what was inside the chest and sensed the sword or something that a person could identify as Caliburn.

She looked through the chest to try and find anything that could tell them how Caliburn got here and managed to find a letter within the chest as she took it and opened it as she began to read it aloud.

 

_Arturia,_

_If you are reading this, then you have likely found Caliburn. I can only guess all the questions you have but, unfortunately, I do not have much time so I shall be brief. Yes, it is your Caliburn. After the fall of Camelot, I managed to find the pieces of it and reforged the sword. Its new name is Caliburn Alexandra. It's on almost equal footing with Excalibur but, unlike Excalibur, it has a bit of a cooldown. Give this to the one you trust the most._

_I'm sorry for not being able to be more clear than this but I assure you I have my reasons. Just know that if Hakuno is lost, Camelot's future is lost forever. Keep Hakuno safe. I hope you find this new Caliburn to be as well as your old one._

_With this, my Mother's first wrong against you has been corrected. All that is left is to correct one final wrong._

_Alexandra_

Arturia didn't know what to say or how to even react to what she had just read. She began to start crying. Alexandra, a niece she never even knew about up until she had been summoned to this war, had done so much for her, She told her the truth about Mordred and Argravain, preserved and honor her and her knights, created the family that would create the Legends the world would refer to, and now she has found out that she had recreated Caliburn from the fragments of the old sword.

She had done so much and Arturia would never get the chance to properly tell her thanks. The best she could do is ensure Hakuno lived.

With that said though, she was confused by what Alexandra had meant in her letter. 'If Hakuno is lost, Camelot's future is lost forever'? Camelot was gone. How could Camelot have a future and what does Hakuno have to do with it? She also mentioned giving the sword to someone she trusted.

So, she turned to Rin and Sakura.

"Would either one of you like to try the sword out?"

They both looked at each other as Rin tried to handle the blade but Arturia could tell Caliburn did not view her as it's wielder. The same ended up happening with Sakura. Neither one could properly handle Caliburn which probably meant they weren't the ones Alexandra had meant.

Rin was still taken aback by all this.

"So Alexandra found and reforged Caliburn to make it equal to Excalibur or, at least, almost equal to? Also, how did she know Hakuno's name?"

That was also something Arturia was confused about. Alexandra shouldn't have known Hakuno's name. Then again, she shouldn't have known Arturia would have returned. It took her a moment before she remembered Merlin and his ability and applied the logic to Alexandra.

"It's the same reasons she knew I would return and had made the chest to where only I could open it. I can not say for certain but it is possible Alexandra managed to develop Clavioyance."

The two looked shocked with neither one saying anything. It was a long shot but what else could explain Alexandra managing to know Hakuno's name or that she would be here so she left Caliburn in a chest that could only be opened by her. It was the only thing she could think of to explain it. Rin simply sighed.

"Well, it's something. Maybe it has some ability to subdue Morgan or something. Anyways, let's head back to Shirou's place. Sun is up and I imagine they are already back there."

Arturia nodded as they went downstairs and started to head for a front door before she stopped as she saw a letter as Rin looked back at her.

"Arturia?"

"Go on ahead. I'll be right there."

Rin simply nodded as she went outside as Arturia went over and picked up the letter. It simply looked like a letter but she felt like maybe Rin or Shirou should open it instead. She didn't know why she felt this way but she trusted her gut and put the letter in her jacket before heading out and locking the door as she caught up with Rin and Sakura.

While they may have not found a way to get Morgan out of Hakuno, having Caliburn back with her reassured her that they would find a way to deal with her. They had to. Alexandra made it clear: whatever future Camelot had, Hakuno's was the key to it. She wouldn't lose Hakuno to Morgan.


	38. Chapter 38

Shirou had so many conflicting emotions from hearing what Archer had said. How couldn't he? His dream was going to get Hakuno killed? How? In fact, why has is it that, since Rin and himself had join forces, he had been so dead set on trying to get him to give up on his dream? 

He wanted answers and now, without anyone else around, he was going to get them. He and Archer stared at each other in silence before Shirou asked.

"How does my dream get Hakuno killed?"

"You really haven't figured it out yet?"

"Figured what out?"

"Me. You still don't realize who I really am."

"You act as though I should know."

"I act as though you should be able to put two and two together. Think about it? The fact you have the same magecraft as I do, you can replicate my weapons, you use my fighting style, and I've been trying to tell you your dream is childish and idiotic. Who else could I possibly be?"

How was he supposed to know? Sure, he was right with all those things but what does that have to do with anything unless...

Unless Archer was him. But Heroic Spirits shouldn't be able to be created anymore.

"By the look on your face I take it you have an idea but you are already thinking it shouldn't be possible. I can assure you it is. One way to become a heroic spirit is to sell your life after death to the Counter Force. The same way Arturia achieved becoming a heroic spirit."

"Huh?"

"You've never found it weird that Arturia seems to never use her spirit form? That's because she doesn't have one. She never died. Right before she died she made a pact with the World in order to get the Grail."

It took him a moment to swallow what Archer had said. He wouldn't be lying about this and it did explain why Arturia ever used her spirit form. If that truly was the case, Archer could only be one person.

"You're me."

"Congrats. You figured it faster than I did."

"What does that mean?" 

"It means you're not as stupid as I am. In fact, this entire war has been vastly different than mine."

"Can we get back to the part where you explain how my dream of becoming a Hero of Justice gets Hakuno killed?"

"You really think you can do something like that and not make enemies?"

Shirou wanted to say yes but then he thought about it for a moment. He would be making enemies of the people he stopped right? So I guess he didn't think that. Archer simply smirked.

"A few hours ago I had given up hope that you would think this through. Guess I was wrong to give up hope on you."

"Enough. Stop being vague and just tell me what happened."

"It's simple. You tried to balance a life between your dream and living a life with Hakuno. Your dream gave you enemies to deal with and they found out about Hakuno. What better way to hurt a person than the person they loved?"

"They didn't."

"They went to yours and Hakuno's house and killed her. By the time you got there, she was beyond saving."

He didn't know what to say. Archer wasn't lying. He didn't know why or how he could tell but he felt Archer wasn't lying about it. However, he felt Archer hadn't told him everything.

"You're hiding something."

"Something you don't need to know. What I've told you is the bare minimum of what needs to be said so allow me to close all of this talk up by laying out your choices. Either A, continue down your life of wanting to be a hero of justice or, B, give up your dream and be with Hakuno. Choose one or the other because choosing both ends with you achieving neither."

Shirou simply stood in silence as he wasn't sure how to counter or what to say. This was what Archer had been keeping from all of them? No wonder he seems to not want to interact with Hakuno. He was the reason she had died. Archer started walking past him. 

"Where are you going?"

"Back to your place. You know what you have to do. Oh, and if you try to tell Hakuno about this I will not hesitate to end your life. You can tell Rin, Sakura, and Arturia if you want but Hakuno must never find out."

"Why not?"

"Because if she hears about it, she'll end up reliving her death. Her magic circuits are so powerful she can tap into the memories of those around her and end up seeing things she shouldn't. I don't know how she does it or how to stop it but the point still stands."

Shirou sighed. They had promised Hakuno they would open up to her but now it's Archer who is reluctant about doing so.

"I take it all that stuff about that ancestor of Hakuno was fake then."

"The ancestor bit yes but everything else was true." 

At least he knew that. He followed Archer as they headed back. Neither one speaking the whole way and once they reached the place Archer disappeared leaving Shirou to sit alone as he waited for Rin, Sakura, and Arturia to return.


	39. Chapter 39

Hakuno opened her eyes as she looked around unaware of where she was at. It took her a moment to realize, where she was, it wasn't real. She must still be unconscious thanks to what whichever servant took her did to her. Still, she couldn't help but feel like the place looked familiar.

It was a nice looking house. The kitchen and living room were connected and the furniture looked nice. She did get a glimpse of the outside and it was clear this house was made far off any beaten path and was likely a place to not attract anyone's attention. 

Before she could try and think of why the place felt familiar, she heard footsteps coming from the hallway leading to what she could only assume was the bedrooms. She didn't know if she could be seen or not so she decided to play it safe and hide as she slowly watched the person enter the room.

Only to be shocked when she realized the person she was hiding from was herself.

She saw herself walk into the room with a red scarf and some kind of photo. She looked like she was in her early 20s and was wearing a simple white dress. She went over to the kitchen counter and put the scarf on there before hiding the picture under it as she could see herself smiling.

"There, everything is ready for when he gets here. All I have to do now is wait. Though hopefully, Sakura will be here soon with that tea of hers. I rather not still be feeling morning sickness when he gets here."

The dream quickly faded as she slowly felt herself waking up. She had so many questions on what she just saw. Just like her nightmare from last night, the dream she just saw felt real for some reason. What was going on? Why did these dreams feel so real all of a sudden?

Before she could try and think more about it she heard a voice who seems to have taken notice of her awakening. A voice she recognized as the one who kidnapped her.

"Ahhh, you're awake. I was worried I may have drained you of too much mana."

She tried to move or even get up but found herself being tied by red strings she could sense was made of mana. She would likely be unable to break free from them. However, as she was doing this, she felt her body a bit stiff and numb. As if she wasn't in complete control.

The woman simply smiled at her.

"I didn't want you falling off or running away once you woke up. So I tied you up to make sure that didn't happen. Don't worry, they won't be on long. How was your little sleep?"

Why would she tell her? She kidnapped her. Why should she even say a word to her let alone say how her sleep was? She opening her mouth expecting to yell at the woman but instead was shocked by what actually came out of her mouth.

"It was nice. Had a weird dream though."

Wait why did she say that? What was going on? The servant simply smiled. 

"Ahh good, the obedience spell I put on you is working. Guess there won't be any need for the restraints, at least for now."

The servant snapped her fingers and the strings died to her disappeared as she sat up but didn't do anything else. So, she was basically stuck obeying this servant. She mentioned spell so she had to be Caster then. That did also explain how her Master managed to be able to paralyze her during the fight at school yesterday.

That thought immediately made her hate herself for not telling Rin her teacher was the one to attack her. She should have simply told them last night instead of waiting for today and now she won't be able to. Arturia is probably worried sick about her. Oh, she was going to kill this servant the first chance she got.

She quickly took a deep breath to calm down. She needed to stay calm and try to figure out a way out of this situation. Caster had said she was under some obedience spell meaning she likely couldn't disobey Caster. She needed to find a way to break out of the spell.

"Perhaps this evening, once everything is over, we can discuss that dream you had. I need to check in on my Master. You stay right here ok."

She simply nodded as Caster left the room. What did Caster mean by what she said? Did she intend to finish the war today? How? Did it have to deal with her mana that Caster had siphoned off her or was it something else? All she could do is try and figure out what Caster had planned. She couldn't escape so she should at least try to figure out a means to break the spell or figure out Caster's plan. She just hoped Rin, Shirou, Arturia, Sakura, and Archer knew about what happened and were trying to find a way to save her.

 

Caster stepped outside as she tried to contact her Master. She had told him her plan and, while he wasn't entirely excited for it, if it meant they would win then he would go along with it. It was the one thing she was thankful about her Master. He didn't mind getting his hands dirty. Apparently, he was raised as a child to be an Assassin and simply taught at the school as a cover for his job. 

Like herself, he had no interest in the grail and simply wanted to survive the war like she did. She assured him that, with Hakuno and Saber, they would be able to do that. He had left for the church to be rid of the overseer of the war. She was going to need to church if she was going to pull off her plan. After a few moments she heard her Master.

"Caster?"

"Master, how did it go?"

"The church is clear. This plan of yours shouldn't have any issues."

"Good. Did the priest give you any trouble? I managed to use Hakuno's magic to strengthen your enhancements but that man still is an unknown to me."

"That's the thing Caster, the church was clear when I got here. Father Kotomine is gone. No notes or any clue to where he left."

Caster found it a bit off. Did a servant or another Master take him out? 

"Does it look like he was attack?"

"If he was, the person who did it made sure to keep it clean enough to be where no one could suspect a thing. He might have simply left. Regardless, the place is cleared."

"Right, thank you Master. I'll be there soon and start getting the area set up."

She cut the communication as she turned into spirit form and made her way to the church. She had a lot of preparations to make but, thanks to Hakuno's mana, she would have plenty of mana to do so. She just needed to be ready to deal with Morgan. Perhaps, with Rule Breaker, she could separate the 2 and, once Saber was under her control, she could command her to kill Morgan. 

Truth was, she didn't trust Morgan. As vile as she may be, her evil paled in comparison to that woman. There is no telling what Morgan would do if she got Hakuno's body. She knew how the saying went, 'the enemy of my enemy is my friend'. Right now, Morgan was as much an enemy to Hakuno and Saber as she was to herself. She was the witch of betrayal after all, Morgan should have expected her to double cross her.


	40. Chapter 40

Arturia wasn't sure what had happened between Archer and Shirou as she, Rin, and Sakura walked into the house but clearly whatever the two had said affected them both. Shirou was in the kitchen cooking breakfast but she could sense something was wrong and Archer was leaning against the wall in the living room looking outside. 

Archer noticed them coming in as he looked at them.

"So, what was in the chest?"

Rin and Sakura had discussed with her about possibly not telling Archer what they had found on their way back to Shirou's house. While she could understand why they wanted to keep it a secret due to not knowing if he could be trusted or not, withholding info wouldn't help Hakuno.

"A note from Alexandra as well as this."

She held up Caliburn as Archer looked surprised.

"That can't be. Arturia that isn't what I think it is right?"

"Alexandra repaired and upgraded Caliburn. She didn't go into much detail of what it could do but she told me to give it to the person I trust the most with."

Archer glanced at Rin and Sakura before looking back at her.

"I take it neither one of them could handle it then. The only one I can think of who would fit that idea is Hakuno."

She just tilted her at him.

"How can you be so sure?"

"You've been treating her like your own daughter. I'm pretty sure she is the one you would trust Caliburn to the most."

"Maybe...she did mention Hakuno by name in the note."

Archer and even Shirou looked at her when she said that. Shirou looked confused but Archer seems to have the same idea she had.

"How did Alexandra know Hakuo by name?"

She simply shrugged. She had an idea but could it truly be possible?

"Alexandra said to keep Hakuno safe as she is the key to Camelot's future."

"Camelot's future? But Camelot fell right? And how is Hakuno the key to any of this?"

"I don't know Shirou. She didn't have time to explain. She sounded like she was in a hurry but, regardless, she reforged Caliburn. I say that is more than enough reason to trust what she said."

No one argued her logic. Regardless of how Alexandra knew Arturia would return and how she knew about Hakuno, she had done everything to help Arturia and stated multiple times her disdain for Morgan. They could trust her.

After a few minutes, Shirou finished up breakfast as they all sat down to eat. It was mostly quiet until Rin finally got tired of the silence and simply asked Archer and Shirou.

"So, you two going to tell us what we missed or what?"

Archer looked at Shirou before he continued to eat. Whatever the two had talked about, Archer made it clear he wasn't going to tell us. Shirou sighed as he looked at the 3 of them.

"Rin, I know this might sound crazy but try and keep an open mind when I say it, ok?"

"And none of you are allowed to say a word of this to Hakuno."

Archer simply stared at the 3, Rin and Sakura might have been willing to go along with it but Arturia wasn't as she stared at him.

"Oh, so now you are the one wanting to keep secrets from her? After you criticized us for keeping the whole thing about Rider and Morgan a secret from her? I've seen you as many things Archer but a hypocrite isn't one of them."

"Arturia she doesn't need to know. What happened isn't likely going to happen here."

"And what did exactly happen? What are you so afraid of Hakuno hearing that you wouldn't tell us?"

Shirou tried to defuse the situation between the two.

"Both of you calm down. Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to get Hakuno back."

She just stared at Archer for a moment before declaring what her intentions would be.

"I'll hear this story of yours and then I'll decide if Hakuno should know or not. Regardless of what ends up happening, I am done trying to keep secrets from Hakuno. Every lie and secret we keep from her, Morgan can use against her." 

"Arturia, trust me. You'll realize Hakuno hearing this is going to be worst than her knowing about Morgan."

She simply nodded as she sat back down along with Archer. Shirou sighed before simply saying that was hard to believe.

"Rin, Archer is me from a different timeline."

They all went silence once that sentence was complete. Archer was Shirou from another timeline? Was that what Archer meant by Shirou's dream killing Hakuno? He let her die because of his dream? She felt her hand clenched into a fist as she looked at him.

"What did you do?"

Archer was silent before finally saying.

"I made enemies, they found her and I wasn't there to keep her safe. Simple as that."

"SIMPLE!?"

Neither Shirou, Rin, or Sakura could say anything as Arturia tackled Archer outside ready to drive Excalibur straight through him. How could he be that empathetic at Hakuno's death? He might be Shirou but he clearly was different compared to her Master. Still, she wanted to know where she was when all this happened.

"Where was I that I allowed this to happen?"

"You were gone. You left when the war was over. You never really had any interest in Hakuno despite her magic. That's why this world has been so different."

She had abandoned Hakuno? Archer was clearly being truthful but how could she have simply left Hakuno without really looking into what Hakuno was. She managed to calm down as she got up and looked at him. Archer simply looked at Shirou and Rin.

"Perhaps you should tell them while I talk to Arturia about this."

He simply nodded as they close the door leaving the two of them outside. Archer looked at Arturia as he sat on the ground as Arturia stared at him.

"I want to know everything that happened. No lies, no secrets."

"You won't like what you end up hearing, trust me." 

"I don't care if I like it or not. I want to know what happens to Hakuno."

Archer sighed as she could tell he knew there was no use trying to argue it as he took a deep breath.

"Let's start off with how my Holy Grail War ended."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, the fabled Archer backstory! The next chapter will clear up some of the hints I've been leaving throughout the story up till now. Hope everyone is excited for that.


	41. Chapter 41

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp finished Agartha. It was pretty short compared to Shinjuku. Anyways, here's a new chapter for you people. Enjoy.

"How your grail war ended? Why start there?"

Archer figured it would be a bit odd to start at the end of the war but he thought it would help explain how and why he took the actions he did against Gilgamesh last night. 

"Because you'll better understand my paranoid about Gilgamesh. How and why I threaten Gilgamesh and managed to get him to leave."

Arturia took a moment before nodding.

"Gilgamesh had managed to create the grail using Shinji as a vessel. While you and Rin were off saving Shinji and destroy the grail, I and Hakuno faced off against Gilgamesh. The idea was that Hakuno's magic would be able to maintain my magic long enough for us to defeat Gilgamesh."

"How did it go?"

"Almost perfect. I managed to get Gilgamesh on his last legs. I had him dead to rights but Gilgamesh decided to not go out without trying to do something. He got one weapon ready to attack and, being cockier than I should, didn't realize till the last moment he wasn't aiming for me."

"He was aiming for Hakuno?"

"If he couldn't have her, nobody would is the best reason I got for why he tried to do what he did. The worst part was, he almost did. Had his attack been any closer, it would have cut through her heart. Luckily, the sword went just below it but it still left Hakuno in a bad state for a few days until she was fully healed."

Arturia nodded as she was processing everything he was telling her. Not that he could blame her, the entire situation is hard to believe in of itself. She's sitting and listening to her current Master from a separate timeline as a heroic spirit.

"What happened next?"

"Well, as I said, you left. You kinda never viewed Hakuno much more than just my friend. You probably saw her more of a detriment to keep around whether than a benefit when you first got summoned."

"Was I really that bad?"

All he could do was nod his head. He told her she wasn't going to like what he said but she agreed to move forward with it. No sense in stopping now.

"After the war and graduation, me, Rin and Hakuno ended up at clocktower training, Hakuno wanting to use magic more efficiently and I wanted to be prepared for when I went after my dream. What I didn't expect was, when I did, Hakuno wanted to come along with me. I was hesitant at first but she was the only one between her, Rin, and Sakura who wanted to help me fulfill my dream. So, I agreed and allowed her to come along with me. Looking back, I honestly wish I didn't."

"Something happened to her?"

"We were helping a town in the middle east, Hakuno healing and helping the sick as usual. What neither one of us expected was a bomb to be planted near the place Hakuno was helping out and it went off while she was there. For the 3 weeks, she was in and out of a coma. Those 3 weeks I had to think and worry about whether or not she was going to end up not waking up and dying because of my dream."

Arturia was simply silent as he was talking. 

"Rin and Sakura had both told me Hakuno didn't need to be in a dangerous place like we were. After almost losing her, I understood that she didn't need to be in this line of work. The best way I thought of to get her to settle down somewhere was me and her getting married and it worked. We got a house somewhere out of the way so no one would bother her and she became a housewife."

"I take it Rin and Sakura had tried to tell Hakuno to not marry you."

"They both saw I was a lost cause and I would only lead to her being sad but, despite hearing this, she went with it anyway. I wasn't home as much as either one of us wanted me to be but she never left. She was just happy to have a place for me to return home to and an ear to listen to all my venting. She......she was too good for someone like me who was so dead set on being a Hero of Justice. Regardless, I thought her being there would keep her safe."

"But that didn't happen, did it?"

"I had made plans to come home for our anniversary. Figured I would at least get to see her and she had mentioned she had a surprise for me. Except, instead of opening the door and see her smiling and happy to see me, I open the door and found her bleeding out on the floor, barely holding on. A group I made enemies with by going after their operations found out about her and where she was at. I imagine you know how it went."

"Did she at least fight?"

"She tried to but they clearly didn't give her much of a chance. Sakura and Rin never forgave me for letting Hakuno die as she did. We never spoke after Hakuno's death. I ended up going onto make a pact with the Counterforce and now here I am. A broken man who realized too late the consequences of following and idealize a dream without any consideration of the consequences it could bring onto the people around you."

He had hope Arturia would leave it at that, that he wouldn't have to say what condition Hakuno was in but Arturia clearly found up there had been something more to the whole situation.

"You aren't telling me something EMIYA. What are you hiding?"

He sighed, he was smart enough to not and try to hide it but also knew Arturia would likely kill him if he did tell her the truth. He was doomed either way so why not go the route of being honest at least.

"I.....found out Hakuno was expecting after she passed away. That was the surprise she had for me."

Arturia was simply silent as she quickly realized what Archer had meant as a mixture of both anger and sadness because present on her face as she wasn't sure how to feel. She was likely questioning if she should be angry at him for not realizing this sooner and being there for Hakuno or sad about Hakuno losing such a thing. 

"EMIYA...I...."

"Now you understand why I know so much about her and why I worry about her. The Hakuno from my world never had to deal with Morgan to this much of a degree nor did she become the surprise grand prize for all the masters in the war. Though, this timeline does have some good things as well.

Arturia looked at him curiously as to what he meant.

"Well, Hakuno has you. Both Shirou and Rin have developed crushes for Hakuno. Sakura decided to protect Hakuno rather than try to win the grail. You learned about Alexandra and the truth of what happened as well as discover Caliburn. This world has much more potential than mine ever did. Regardless of what happened to the Hakuno in my world, I want to make sure she is safe in this one. To do that, we need to get her safe and away from Morgan. I imagine Caliburn might help with that until we find a proper way of dealing with her."

Arturia took a moment to think about everything he had said. She had no reason to trust him and he didn't blame her. He didn't save her daughter in a different timeline. Why would she trust him with Hakuno's safety when he failed once. After a few moments of complete silence, Arturia finally made her stance clear.

"I trust you. Hakuno would likely try to say you shouldn't blame yourself for what happened."

"That is one thing they have in common, she never blamed me nor complained about her situation. I hated her for it because I knew I wouldn't be able to do the same if our positions were swapped." 

"Regardless, we need to take down Caster and Assassin. As valuable as having Caster around for dealing with Morgan, we can't trust her nor would Hakuno ever forgive me if I abandoned Shirou."

He couldn't help but smile as Arturia was getting back to her usual self. Still, he had one last question for her before they went back to see if Rin, Shirou, and Sakura were ready to go get Hakuno back.

"What do you intend to do once the war is over? Are you going to simply return to the grail or do you plan to do something here?"

Arturia looked at him as she simply sighed.

"I don't know EMIYA. I know I should return to the grail when this is all over but I can't bear the thought of leaving her alone. We will have to see what happens but, if it's all possible, I might try and find a way for me to stay here so I can take care of Hakuno."

If that turns out to be the case, then he wouldn't need to worry about Shirou becoming him. Hakuno and Arturia would be more than enough to get Shirou to let go on his dream, thanks to what he had said to Shirou though Arturia did look a bit confused.

"Shirou and Rin have a crush on Hakuno? I know Hakuno seems to be falling for both of them but I have no idea which one she prefers over the other."

"I'm sure they will figure something out. Now, let's head back inside and talk on how we plan to storm Caster's base."

Arturia nodded as she headed back in as he followed behind her. He felt a bit better finally getting all that off his chest. Perhaps he should have been honest from the start but she wasn't sure if that was the best idea or not. Regardless, Arturia knew and she would likely do what she could to ensure Hakuno didn't end up like his Hakuno. All that was left was to make sure Morgan was dealt with and then Hakuno would have her peace.


	42. Chapter 42

Rin couldn't believe what she was hearing. What was even worse is that all of it added up. Archer being Shirou from a different timeline would explain how he seems to know a lot about Shirou and why Shirou could replicate Archer's swords and fighting style.

Of course, accepting that what Archer told Shirou was true also meant accepting that Shirou's ideas were going to be the death of Hakuno or, at least, she thought it would be. Archer said this world was different than his. She was getting so many conflicting thoughts and emotions on how she should feel but that all disappeared when Sakura looked at the two and asked.

"Why were you two upset about Rider kissing Hakuno?"

They both look at her.

"Huh?"

"Hakuno told me after I explained to her about what Rider did to her that you two were as upset as Saber was about Hakuno being kissed. While Saber has the excuse she views Hakuno as her daughter, neither one of you has a similar excuse."

They both looked at each other. She knew why she was upset about it but she never thought about why Shirou was upset nor did they ever really talk about why they didn't tell her. They just never did. Her reasons were a bit embarrassing, to say the least, but Sakura looked at the two before she started to realize something.

"You both like her, don't you? Why else would you two be upset at someone else kissing her when she herself wasn't upset by it."

The entire room went quiet as Sakura asked both of them that question. It should be obvious that Shirou would end up having a crush on Hakuno, considering what they just learned but Shirou and Sakura both looked at her as her face betrayed her by blushing at the idea as both of them looked shocked.

"W-wait what? Rin, you're into girls?"

"I'm into both, ok? I usually don't try to let myself be into girls because of how that is viewed but Hakuno was an exception. She's...she's different. She's the only person I've met that wasn't dissuaded by my inability to not try to sound rude whenever I talk. You saw her the first night Saber got summoned. She knew how to react to what I said."

It took a moment for Shirou to remember as Sakura looked confused.

"Yeah, I did find it odd that she knew you that well for you to not say anything. Maybe it's for the best that you-"

"No, we are not going to decide who gets Hakuno. If anyone gets to decide that it's Hakuno. Just because your other self ended up getting Hakuno killed doesn't mean you will."

Shirou just looked at her after hearing her say that. They need to stop deciding what is best for Hakuno. Sure, she's still young but she survived on her own before she met either one of them. They need to stop trying to protect her because they think she is too young or doesn't need to know. Of course, she was surprised to hear Arturia as she and Archer were walking in.

"Rin is right, Shirou. What happened in Archer's world won't happen here. Though, the part about letting Hakuno decide might be hard as she has feelings for both of you, even if she doesn't understand that yet."

They both looked at Arturia as Rin was confused on how she knew.

"How do you know that?"

"Hakuno told me, while we were out shopping for clothes for me, that she got this weird feeling whenever she was with either one of you. It was the same feeling she got when Rider kissed her but she wasn't aware of what those feelings were or what they meant."

"She really was that oblivious?" 

She turned to Sakura as Sakura nodded to the statement. Rin couldn't believe it. All this time, Hakuno had crushes on both of them but was unaware of what a crush even is. Archer, wanting to get the group back on track, looked at them.

"We can worry about who gets Hakuno after we save her and get her through this war."

Arturia agreed with him.

"We need to get her back first. Which means going to face Caster and Assassin. I can deal with Assassin while you 3 go in to deal with the Masters and Caster."

"There is only one Master. Assassin doesn't have a proper Master. Caster, using her powers as a rule breaker, summoned Assassin and made him guard the gates to the temple. That's why he hasn't appeared anywhere else. Not because he doesn't want to but because he can't. Caster will be a bit more difficult to deal with, knowing she likely took Hakuno's mana by now, but I can still deal with her if Shirou and you deal with her Master."

Rin didn't question how Archer knew all this now knowing who he was. If this was the best plan of attack then they would trust him. He clearly regretted letting Hakuno die the first time, as little he showed it, so he has every reason to want to save Hakuno. She looked at Archer.

"Fine. What about Sakura though?"

Sakura spoke up as she said that.

"I can stay back and make sure Saber has enough mana and is heal if need be. I'm not great but I'll do whatever I can to make sure Hakuno is saved."

Hakuno would be upset at them if they tried to stop Sakura from helping. They would be no use trying to argue her helping so they went with what Sakura had planned. Soon enough, they all left Shirou's house heading for the temple. They were going to get Hakuno back one way or another and, once this war was over, she'll tell Hakuno about how she feels. As much as she didn't trust Shirou as much as she use to thanks to Archer story, the choice was still Hakuno's. Neither one should try and take that away from her. 


	43. Chapter 43

Hakuno had no idea how long it had been since Caster had left to check on her Master. She was unable to move or do anything as if her body wasn't her own but she was still aware of what was going on. Caster had mentioned an obedience spell which must be how she is unable to do anything.

All she could do is wait for Caster to get back. The worst part of it was the wait itself. She had no idea if Saber or Archer knew who taken her. Sure, there are not a lot of option but with the whole 'Gilgamesh' incident, they might end up going to look in the wrong place.

Then there were the two dreams she had. They both felt real but how and why? Not only that, that one static image she ended up seeing the night after Archer used his mana to snap Hakuno back into reality felt connected but she didn't know how or why. Why was she even seeing these things, to begin with?

As if her day could not get any worse, Ghost decided to make an appearance as she appeared in front of her.

"Hello, Hakuno."

She just stared at the woman.

"Ghost."

"Oh, come now. Be a bit nicer, will you? I did tell you, aside from Gilgamesh, I would sooner get you away from Arturia and the others than to help you."

"You're honest about being horrible. That doesn't help your case."

"Awww, Hakuno. Have you yet to understand?"

"Understand what?"

"Despite everything you've been through, you always had me and I have never lied to you."

She just stared at the Ghost having a hard time arguing with it.

"Hakuno, everything I do is to protect you. Arturia is responsible for all of Camelot falling, despite what my daughter has said. She always favored her aunt over her own mother. Arturia knows who I am and has yet to tell you because she doesn't trust you."

"You're lying....she..."

"Rin and Shirou are your friends, right? You would think, if they were, they would tell you the truth about me or tell you why they were upset about Rider yet it was Sakura who did the ladder. They aren't your friends Hakuno."

Hakuno couldn't say anything in response.

"And as for that Archer, I don't know who or what his relationship is with you but I can only guess it ended with you either heartbroken or dead according to those memories you've been seeing. Yet, what have I done against you? You act as though I'm the bad person yet have I truly done anything bad to you? I've threatened to take over but it's all to get you away from those who would hurt you. Can you see that now?"

She was just silent as she was unable to say anything. She didn't trust her but nothing Ghost had said wasn't true. She wasn't sure about her comment on Archer but perhaps she knows the whole story while she didn't. Still, there was one thing she could ask.

"Who are you?"

"Hakuno, you can figure it out. I've stated hatred for my sister multiple times and your family used my magic circuits and implant them into you to make sure you could protect yourself."

If Hakuno had control of her body, she could imagine her eyes would be wide open as she quickly realized who the Ghost was. But was it possible? 

"You're....Morgan Le Fay?"

"That is correct. When your parents were stabilizing your magic circuits, they inadvertently summoned me into your body. Your mother sealed me in the back of your mind up till she died and I was freed. Ever since then, I've been keeping an eye on you and protecting you."

"B-but...you're..."

"Evil? Hakuno dear that isn't true. The truth is Alexandra created a bias for your family to believe in and when it came time to create the legends of King Arthur, that bias had become fact as they wrote me as a horrible person. Arturia had denied Mordred his right to the throne yet Mordred couldn't bring herself to killing her father so I took over so she wouldn't have to deal with the guilt. Alexandra used my kindness as a weapon against me and wrote it as if I was the one behind the rebellion and Mordred was as much the victim as Arturia was."

She had given up trying to fight again what Morgan was saying as she could feel her soul being held by Morgan.

"Hakuno, your entire family has lived on a lie but, today, I will right that wrong."

She couldn't nor did she try to fight as she felt mind going to sleep in Morgan's embrace. Maybe Morgan was right. Maybe she was just misunderstood. She still believed Arturia was innocent but she did try to act like a mother without being honest to her about it and her so-called friends kept the truth of Morgan from her. Despite everything she wanted to believe, she believed Morgan was right as she felt herself fade into a slumber.

Morgan couldn't help but laugh as Hakuno's conscious finally went into a slumber. After years of working and chipping away, Hakuno was.hers to control. The only issue was Medea and her stupid obedience spell that she had placed on Hakuno's body. 

Needing a spell to make someone follow your command was exactly why Medea was weak and a desperate control freak. They would never get along. Their methods of control and getting what they want was completely different.

Medea's way was shameless and weak. Justing simply torturing or forcing someone to obey you didn't work as great wearing them down and making them think you were right. Her method, while slower, was more successful than any of her methods would ever be.

Still, she had Hakuno. Hakuno was completely hers. Now all she had to do was wait for Medea to get Arturia to her and she would make Artrua belong to her. Then she will gladly kill Caster, Assassin, and all the other servants in the war to get the Grail. With its power and Arturia by her side, she would become the queen of a new world. One that followed her.

Speaking of the devil, the door opened up as Medea walked in smiling at her. Hakuno's eyes were still brown and Morgan intended to keep it that way. She will act for Hakuno until the act was no longer needed.

"Nice to see you're feeling well Hakuno. Everything is ready. Now, come with me."

She just nodded as she followed Medea as they ended up leaving the temple and walked a while until they ended up at a Church and it was about noon. She vaguely remembered this church is the same one Hakuno had gone to the first night she had met Arturia. 

Medea lead Hakuno inside and into a spare room she had turned into a dressing for of sorts. She heard Medea talking. 

"You don't know how happy I am of doing this for you. It feels as though I'm your mother, really."

If Morgan wasn't trying to keep appearances up, she would have made vomiting sounds at the comment. Hakuno had only room for one mom and that was her. Arturia and Medea could both move on from that notion but, in order to keep up the ruse, she played along.

"And what is it we are doing, Caster?"

Morgan already knew the answer but Hakuno didn't so hopefully asking would set things into motion. Still, she couldn't help but smile as she heard Medea say those words.

"Simple, Hakuno. You're getting married tonight. Isn't that exciting?"


	44. Chapter 44

Arturia carried Caliburn with her as they made their way to the temple Caster was keeping Hakuno at. While she was hesitant to bring Caliburn with her, she felt worse at the idea of returning to Shirou's place and finding the blade gone. Alexandra had repaired and made Caliburn better and left it for Arturia as a means to undo what Morgan did. She was not going to squander her niece's dedication to her by losing the blade once more.

Her mind quickly shifted to worrying about Hakuno. While they couldn't trust Caster, they still needed a way to get Morgan out of Hakuno's head or seal her away so she could not take Hakuno and they lacked anyone who could do such a thing. If they could figure out something to get Medea to work with them rather than forcing Hakuno to their side, they might still be able to get Caster to do so but Arturia believed that option was off the table.

Shirou saw her distressed and smiled at her.

"We'll get Hakuno back, Arturia. Hakuno's been fighting Morgan for years, even if she has been unaware of it, she will keep Morgan at bay till we find a way to deal with her."

"We can only hope she can. Morgan is very good when it comes to controlling people. The sooner we get Hakuno back the better."

He just nodded as they reached the steps to the temple and began their climb. After a few minutes of climbing, they saw the gate and standing in front of it was Assassin. He simply looked down at the group as he smiled.

"Ahhh, Saber. You return. Though from the guests you brought, I take it you have decline Caster's offer."

"Assassin, why is it you serve Caster? You clearly care not for her."

"No I do not but she has given me the chance to fight against opponents like you. Besides annoying as she may be, she is interesting. Regardless if you've come to rescue that girl then I'm sorry to say you are too late. Caster has already taken her and her Master somewhere else."

EMIYA looked surprised.

"What?"

"You are all more than welcome to search the temple but you won't find anything. Well, all of you except Saber. I have unfinished business with you. Caster prevented me from fighting all out against you earlier but now things are different. I know not of what Caster and the spirit inside the girl are planning but I can tell it's every bit vile as one can expect."

She turned towards everyone.

"Go. I'll deal with Assassin while you go check the temple."

She wasn't happy to hear Morgan and Caster were working together. If anything, she feared for Hakuno even more. Caster was clearly someone who had issues and she knew her sister well enough. Even if their alliance would be shakey, they would come up with the worst things to put Hakuno through. If Hakuno wasn't here, then they needed to find out where Caster had taken Hakuno to.

Archer, Shirou, and Rin looked at each other before nodding as they all passed Assassin without him trying to stop them. He simply keeps his gaze down at her as she made her way towards a level step as Assassin made his way down to the same step.

"You fighting on even ground? A bit odd for an Assassin servant."

"The Assassin class doesn't quite fit me. If I had to guess, I'd say I was summoned this way due to what Caster did. I'm more of a swordsman than an Assassin."

"If that's the case, then come False Assassin."

He smirked before she charged at her as the two of them began their battle. Sakura had stayed behind just as she had said to make sure nothing happened to Arturia. She kept an eye on Assassin in case he turned to try and attack Sakura but he kept his focus on her as the two fight.

After a few clashes, Assassin backed off and took a stance.

"I see no reason to hold back. If this is to be the last fight I have in this war, allow me to show you my noble phantasm."

At that moment, her instincts took into effect as she sensed that, whatever he was about to use, would kill her if she wasn't careful. She focused and stood ready. She would not die without seeing Hakuno and telling her the truth about Morgan nor would she allow herself to die till she saw Hakuno safe.

"Tsubame Gaeshi"

In one moment, his one blade became three as all three went towards her. She looked for a way to get into striking range but, as she was, she felt Caliburn calling out to her as if it was willing to be used by her once more. She understood what she needed to do as she pulled Caliburn from its sheath and rush towards the small opening within the 3 swords. Using Caliburn to block the one sword that would have hit her by doing this, she used Excalibur to cut straight through Assassin. Everything went quiet as it took Assassin to take notice of his wound and cough up blood before smiling.

"Why did you not use that blade during our last fight? You might have beaten me back then."

"I did not know it was still around till I checked Hakuno's home. It was an old sword I thought was lost but, from what I found out, my niece repaired it."

Assassin simply sat on the edge of the level ground and stared up.

"Must be someone who cared about you a lot to ensure it got back to you."

He starts looking through the inside of his clothing and pulled out a note before flinging it towards her as she caught it.

"Caster said to give it to you when I was defeated. Though I knew my defeat was inevitable, I still felt as though I might get a bit of fun out of our fight and I am satisfied with how it ended."

Before she could ask anymore he started to fade.

"I will leave you with this Saber. Caster and the spirit that inhabits Hakuno are planning a trap for you, using her as bait. The spirit seems to have it out for you."

And with that, he was gone. She and Sakura simply stared as he faded into mana as she looked at the unopened note while taking in Assassin's final words. She was about to open the note before she heard Rin's voice as both she and Sakura turned towards Rin standing at the gate.

"Assassin wasn't lying. Caster, Hakuno and Caster's Master aren't here. The place is empty."

"She left Assassin a note to give to me once he was defeated."

She and Sakura went up to meet Rin at the gate as Shirou and EMIYA both came out finished their searches as they both looked confused about what happened. She just showed them the closed note as they all gather around to read it as she opened it.

_Saber,_

_If you are reading this, then it seems you have defeated Assassin and chosen to fight me rather than join me. If you want Hakuno back, you will come to the church the overseer of the war was staying and you will come alone. If I sense anyone else with you, I will kill Hakuno. Neither one of us wants that. Come once the sun goes down._

_Caster._


	45. Chapter 45

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a short chapter but, considering what is about to happen, I say it'll be worth the shortness.

"Wait, Kirei's church? Why is she there?"

Rin was so confused as to why Caster would be at the church. Not taking into the fact that Kirei would never allow such a thing, why have a meeting at a church to begin with. There was nothing wrong with the temple. She was busy thinking when EMIYA brought up something.

"The night Hakuno got taken, I was checking the church. I don't trust Gilgamesh to keep his word so I was going to take him down before he can become an issue. The problem is, both he and Kirei were gone."

This caught all their attention as they all looked towards him with Arturia getting some relief.

"That explains where you were when Caster attacked the place. I did find it weird you weren't there to stop her."

"I waited until everyone was asleep before I left. I didn't expect Hakuno to have a nightmare and wake up in the middle of the night."

Rin broke the conversation up to make sure she heard EMIYA right.

"Kirei is gone? Why? Did Caster kill him?"

"No. I can only guess Gilgamesh told Kirei what happened and Kieri decided to not push their luck and abandoned the church. I doubt neither Caster nor her master would leave the place in such a nice way."

"So what should we do?"

Arturia looked the note and sighed.

"Assassin said Morgan and Caster were working together against me. I can only guess Morgan was the one who persuaded Caster into this. The best thing we can do now is to do as Caster said and I go meet with her at the church."

"What's to stop Caster from killing Hakuno once you do side with her or if you try to fight her alone?"

"She has something planned for Hakuno. Morgan wouldn't let Caster kill Hakuno if she wants to take over her."

Arturia looked at EMIYA.

"What happened with Caster in your timeline EMIYA?"

It took EMIYA a moment before sighing as he explained.

"She wanted to use you to take down Berserker. So her idea hasn't changed just her methods. She never paid much attention to Hakuno. She captured you and tried to force you into becoming her servants. She also had this dress but I can only guess she took it with her along with Hakuno."

"So she is using Hakuno to get my help then?"

"That was what she wanted originally, Morgan probably made the situation worst. I can only guess what she intends to do now."

Arturia looked down at the ground before looking back up.

"I'll go in alone while you guys wait far away but in view of the church, in case I need help."

Shirou looked a bit worried but Arturia raised her hand to stop him.

"They want me, they'll get me. Caster will learn what happens when you use my daughter as a hostage."

EMIYA just smirked. 

"Don't try and stop her, Shirou. We'll go with her plan. Though I guess I should tell you guys who Caster's master is so you are prepared for what's to come."

They all looked at him before he continued.

"Caster's master is Souichirou Kuzuki."

Arturia didn't know who that was but Sakura, Shirou, and herself all stared at him in disbelief, she double checking to make sure she heard him right.

"My teacher is the Master that attacked Hakuno?"

"Yep. Four Masters at one place. Five if we wanna count Shinji but let's not."

"Seriously?! How did the grail end up picking that many people from the same place?"

EMIYA just chuckled at her as Sakura simply asked.

"So what do we do till then? It'll probably be after lunch when we get back."

She looked up making a suggestion.

"Well, let's head back to Shirou's place and get ready. Maybe get an hour or two of sleep since we did get up early."

Shirou and Sakura nodded in agreement as they all started to head down. EMIYA and Arturia started talking but EMIYA let her know they would catch up once they were done. At least he was being open about things now. Maybe him getting what happened with Hakuno off his chest was a good thing after all.

 

Arturia just stared at Caliburn right as Shirou, Sakura, and Rin started down the steps. While the blade may have helped her, it was clearly not happy to be used by her once again. She knew the Caliburn would likely still hate her for getting it shattered originally but she was still taken aback by it.

EMIYA clearly had taken noticed and looked at her instead of following the others.

"I take it Alexandra really meant the blade to be used by Hakuno. You look as though Caliburn isn't happy about helping you once more."

"Why though? What could she have foreseen that would require Hakuno to have Caliburn?"

"Arturia, I have no idea. The Hakuno from my world never really took as much liking into her families' history compare to the one in this world. Whatever Alexandra has planned, Hakuno is needed. She's been doing all this for you so clearly whatever she has planned is to your benefit."

"I suppose that is true. Plus even with its new power, it's still not as effective as Excalibur. So she didn't get it for me to replace Caliburn. She mentioned she was undoing all the wrongs Morgan committed against me."

EMIYA just stared in thought as she looked at him.

"What? Did you figure something out?"

He just shooked his head.

"Probably something to worry about once we get Hakuno back. Come on, let's go catch up to the others."

He started down the steps as Arturia followed him. Regardless of what Caliburn wanted, she needed the swords' help to get Hakuno back. It'll likely cooperate with her till that happens but she knew the sword likely will still hold a grudge against her. Still, Alexandra meant it as a gift to undo what Morgan had done to her. The question now was: what was left to undo?


	46. Chapter 46

Morgan just watched as Medea was getting Hakuno ready for the event tonight. She was honestly regretting going with this idea. 

While she knew this could end up working if all goes well, it didn’t mean she liked the idea of Hakuno being dressed the way she was. 

Maybe it was the fact that Medea had intended the dress to be for Arturia, likely as a means to humiliate her, and she was still upset at the prospect of someone tormenting her sister aside from her.

Medea was fixing her hair as she simply sat there and waited. She’ll have Arturia in her hands by the end of tonight but she was going to enjoy killing Medea.

“Saber is going to be in quite a shock when she sees you.”

She simply looked at Medea. She groaned internally and continued to play along as if Hakuno was still the one in control.

“Thank you, Caster.”

“Such a sweet little girl you are. Having you around is going to be such a nice time.”

‘She’s only sweet because you are forcing her to be sweet. Stupid witch.’

She didn’t say anything else but she just had to deal with Caster for a few more hours and then she’ll have everything she needs to win this ‘war’.

She heard a door open and watched as Caster turned towards it before smiling. 

“Master. Is everything prepared?”

“I still do not understand the purpose of doing all this Caster. There must be easier means of getting Saber on our side.”

“There is but this is to ensure that our mutual friend gets what she wants as well.”

It’s very much clear to her that Caster is referring to her but hasn’t told her Master about her. A bit odd, considering she has a thing for him.

Medea got up and left the room with him as she stared at the mirror she was sitting in front of. Medea had done a nice job prettying Hakuno up. 

The only question she still had was how Medea was going to convince Arturia to go along with the plan.

She was fully aware that Arturia knew Hakuno had feelings for both Shirou and Rin. Not only that, she views Hakuno more of a daughter than a love interest. Medea would really need to lie to get Arturia to fall for it.

Not that it truly matters. She was already in control. She just needed Arturia to get close enough to her and she could easily turn Arturia to her side. Medea was just a convenient way of doing so.

After a few minutes, Medea came back in and simply called for Hakuno to come. She did, though she had little choice in the manner. The sun was about to set and she only guessed that would be when Arturia would be here.

Medea had no idea at all what was going to happen. She would get Arturia, just not in the way she was thinking she would be.

Arturia watched as everyone took naps. She, herself, couldn’t get herself to rest as she simply watched the day pass outside. 

Shirou, Rin, Sakura, and even EMIYA tried to tell her to rest but she couldn’t. Hakuno was in the situation she was in because of her. She wouldn't rest till she was back with them.

She simply stared at the bag of sweets she had gotten for Hakuno the previous night. She should have been here, enjoying them and finally learning the truth about what they had been hiding from her.

Instead, she was in Caster and, possibly, Morgan’s hands and they were none the wiser. Shirou told her to not worry but, deep down, she couldn’t help but worry. 

None of them knew Morgan as she did. Hakuno may have kept her at bay for ten years but she wonders how much of that was actually her and not Morgan simply waiting or something else entirely.

As the sun began to set, Shirou made them an early dinner as well, as made something for Hakuno to eat when they returned with her. They all sat in silence as they ate. 

She finished early and, rather than waiting for the others to finish and be ready, she stepped outside to wait. Not too long after, EMIYA appeared next to her looking at her.

“Guess telling you not to worry isn’t going to help.”

“No. I’ll stop worrying once Hakuno is safe.”

She heard him chuckling as he just turned towards him looking curious.

“Sorry, just not use to seeing you like this. You never took any interest in Hakuno in my world. Seeing you treating her like your daughter is refreshing, to say the least.”

“I don’t get why the version of me from your world never did anything. She had to have known about Hakuno’s magic and it feeling like Morgan’s.”

“Maybe that’s why you never did. You just saw her connection with Morgan and didn’t want any part of it. If I am remembering correctly, I’d say you more avoided Hakuno than just ignore her.”

She had to grip her hand just to not punch the wall. How could she have been that stupid? Hakuno having Morgan’s magic circuits caused her to be worried at first but she quickly learned she was nothing like Morgan. 

The version of her from EMIYA’s world was a fool for not trying to help Hakuno. Maybe things would have ended differently had she done so.

Before either one of them could speak more on the matter, the door opened as Shirou, Rin, and Sakura walked out all dressed and ready. 

They started heading to the church just as the sun had begun to set. The night would fall soon and, one way or another, Hakuno would be back with her and Caster would be dealt with.


	47. Chapter 47

EMIYA, Shirou, Sakura, and Rin were all at the place they agree to stay at while Saber went in. Shirou gave her a concerned look as she headed towards the church. 

Caster clearly had something plan but none of them could have thought what it was. Regardless, she was determined to get Hakuno back. If it required her fighting Caster at a disadvantage just to do so, then she would so.

As she entered the church grounds, she was expecting traps to go off or something to try and get her only to find nothing happening. 

She kept walking to the church doors, keeping her guard up as she did. She expected more of a fight to get inside but there was none.

She looked back in the direction where everyone else was. She didn’t know how long it would take or if she would be able to get out any kind of signal to the group outside but she wasn’t deterred by lack of support. 

She walked into the church only to see the place decorated. Despite the absence of Kirei and Gilgamesh, the place looked well done. The question was why Caster went through the trouble to do so.

“Welcome, Saber. I’m glad you came all alone. We wouldn’t want anyone else to ruin this now would we.”

She turned to see Caster standing at the altar as she was looking at her.

“Caster, where is Hakuno?”

“Ahhh, so quick to the point, aren’t you Saber.”

“I’m in no mood for your games, Caster. The longer Hakuno is away from me, the more likely the spirit in her will take over.”

“Ahh, you must be referring to Morgan.”

She could feel a chill go down her spine. How did she figure out it was Morgan? Did she search through Hakuno’s head like she tried to do before?

“That’s right Saber, or rather Arturia, I know who you are now. I also get why you care so much for Hakuno.”

She summoned her blade as she stood ready to fight Caster. If she knew who she was then there would be no sense in trying to hide her name using her class. Caster, despite being antagonistic, still didn’t look like she intended to fight.

“Arturia, I don’t wish to fight you. My method might have changed but my goal remains the same. I still want you to join me in order to take down the Berserker servant.”

“How can I trust you? And you have still yet to tell me where Hakuno is.”

Caster just smiled and she stepped to the side and what she saw next was something she was both disgusted by and made her hated herself even more for allowing Caster to take Hakuno to begin with.

Hakuno stood in front of her, her eyes dull as if she was under the effects of a spell. She was wearing a white dress and had a bouquet of flowers in her hands. She just stood there not saying anything as she looked at Caster with rage in her eyes.

“Is this some sort of sick joke Caster!?”

“Come now, Saber. I think she looks very nice.”

She had enough, at this point. There was no point trying to negotiate with Caster. She readies her sword and was preparing to charge as she felt something hard hit the back of her neck as her entire body went limp and she collapsed. 

 

Morgan was watching the whole scene play out. While she had initially been clueless as to how Medea intended to lure Arturia in close enough, she quickly realized that wasn’t Medea’s goal.

Arturia had initially tried to be diplomatic, as did Medea, but things quickly broke down when Medea mentioned her name. Then any hope of things ending peacefully died when Medea moved to the side so Arturia could see Hakuno with the way she was.

This entire time, however, Medea’s Master had been moving around the room trying to get behind Arturia and, when Arturia’s guard was completely dropped as she was prepared to fight Medea, he ran up behind Arturia and knocked her out.

She just smiled internally, the plan wasn’t as great as she thought it would be but it still worked. Arturia was vulnerable to her control.

This also meant, however, she no longer needed to play ally to Medea and her Master any longer. They had both served their purpose and she no longer needed them.

She simply watched the two as Arturia fell to the ground with Medea smiling.

“And you thought my plan was odd. I’ll admit I could have come up with better ideas but, thanks to Morgan, I was a bit limited.”

“It doesn’t matter. We have the Saber servant. What do we do now?”

“We don’t do anything. The next part is all on Morgan. Hopefully, she has everything on her end ready to go.”

Morgan smiled as those words came out of Medea’s mouth. She had everything ready to go. Medea, however, wasn’t going to like what was going to happen. Medea walked over and dispersed the obedience spell on Hakuno. She quickly closed her eyes to make sure Medea didn’t notice the eye change. 

“Hakuno? Are you ok? Your friends are here to save you.”

She kept her eyes closed as she began focusing a spell in her hand as Medea was clearly not paying as much attention as she should, more focus on getting Hakuno to look.

“Come on, open your eyes so you can see your friends.”

She just smirked as she was ready. She told herself she would see Medea dead and, while she could easily just get Arturia to do so, she felt it was more satisfying if she did it herself. She opened her eyes as Medea took a step back in shock.

“Wait you aren’t-!”

She didn’t let her finish as she summoned a bolt of lightning in her hand as she shot it through Medea and it went flying above the Church’s entrance. She wasn’t sure if that would be enough to deal with Medea or if she had a few tricks up her sleeves but she knew if Arturia had been smart that the others would have seen that. 

They would come, thinking they would end up helping, only to find her and Arturia under her control. Tonight, 2 servants were going to be defeated and Arturia was going to be hers.


	48. Chapter 48

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back. I apologies for the long wait for new chapters. Been taking a small break but I've returned. I should have new chapters for other stories later today. Thank you for understanding and enjoy the chapter.

Rin simply looked at the church, along with, Shirou and Sakura, as they waited for some kind of signal from Arturia. All the while, she simply thought about how weirdly this war has gone.

4 of the Masters all went to the same school, the one who is supposed to keep the war in order is nowhere to be found, and, to top it all off, a girl is being coveted as more important than the holy grail itself. 

The thing that was bothering her though was why Caster had decided to hold up in the church? From what Rin had seen when they were at the temple, Caster had set the place up fairly well. Why would she give that up for something she got together in a day? 

About 10 minutes after Arturia had entered the church, all their attention was caught as a bolt of lightning came out from a window at the front of the church. Clearly, the fight had started but Rin couldn’t help but feel like something was off. 

Shirou and Sakura began to get up but EMIYA was staring at the church not looking ready to go as she looked towards him.

“Archer, are we going or what? We know Arturia can’t use magic so that has to be Caster.”

“Rin, that wasn’t Caster.”

“So, then her master then?”

“No. Her Master can’t use magic they aren’t a mage.”

“Then…”

She didn’t even need to finish that sentence as she quickly realized the only other person it could be. Whatever was going on, Hakuno was the one who had launched that lighting bolt. They needed to get in there, Arturia likely could keep Hakuno safe from Caster till that got there.

EMIYA went ahead as she, Shirou, and Sakura made their way to the church. This wasn’t just about getting Hakuno back. This was also about dealing with Caster so she couldn’t hurt Hakuno again. 

 

Morgan couldn’t help but smile as she watched Caster fall to one of her knees. It had been so simple. While she wasn’t fatally wounded, the blast itself would have gotten the attention of the others. Medea looked at her with an angry look.

“You.”

“Come now, Medea. You really didn’t think this would happen? One of us was going to betray the other, at some point. I just betrayed you once you brought me what I wanted.”

She had already started anticipating Souichirou to attack her the moment the shock from her attack wore off and, thankfully, she already had the means to avoid it. Just as he came in to attack her, she quickly teleported. 

She found herself back in the room Medea had dressed her in. She highly doubts Medea would come looking for her, especially with the others on the way and sending Souichirou to find her would be suicidal for him.

Luckily, the first thing they would see is Arturia out cold and Hakuno missing. They would be too focused on defeating Caster and Souichirou, not thinking much about her attack.

While it would be nice to get out of this dress and in something normal, Arturia would likely realize something is up if she did. As much as she hated the dress, she needed to keep it on. 

As she looked around the room, finally free from the spell Medea had placed on Hakuno’s body, she could think about something that was bothering her. Arturia was carrying a second sword with her. A sword that looked oddly familiar to Caliburn.

Now, she was absolutely sure Caliburn had been destroyed. It was why Arturia ended up receiving Excalibur, Avalon, and Rhongomyniad from Vivian. So the question was what that sword was and, if it really was Caliburn, how or who repaired it.

She simply sat on the bed as she waited for things to begin, as she felt new mana sources entering the church. She would have plenty of time to figure things out once Arturia was hers and the rest were dead.

 

EMIYA did not like the fact that Hakuno had cast magic. Caster should have had Hakuno in such a way that would prevent her from doing such a thing. 

There was a chance Arturia had managed to free Hakuno during the fight but why would Arturia not take Hakuno and run the moment she was free. Nothing was adding up and things added up even less when all of them entered the church and saw the aftermath of whatever happened.

Arturia was on the ground unconscious as Caster, who looked wounded, and her master was talking to each other. Whatever they were talking about, it was dropped the moment they both saw them. The only thing wrong about the scene was Hakuno was visibly missing. 

Rin, of course, was shocked to see her teacher with Caster as she turned to him.

“My teacher is Caster’s Master!?”

While it would be nice to mess with Rin a bit, he was too focused on trying to find out where Hakuno was.

“Where is she, Caster?”

“You don’t know what has happened.”

“Then start talking.”

“Morgan has control of Hakuno.” 

The entire room went quiet as those words left Caster’s mouth. Their worst fears for Hakuno, according to Caster, had come to pass. While Arturia being out cold on the ground was definitely Caster’s fault. 

“The only reason I went along with her plan was that she had managed to take control after you and Saber left and threatened to kill me and my Master. I figured I could take Saber and have Hakuno control Saber and slowly lure Morgan in a false sense and then get rid of her for Hakuno and Saber.”

“Why would you want to do that? For them or your own ego?”

“Archer, we do not have time for this. We need to-”

She cut herself off as they all see Arturia slowly began to stand. Arturia wasn’t aware that they were behind her as her focus lied solely on Caster. He could tell from her voice that she was not happy as she spoke.

“Enough of your games, Caster. Where is Hakuno!”

Before Caster could even speak, Arturia charged at Caster.


	49. Chapter 49

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After almost a month on hiatus, being busy, and having writer's block, the story continues!

Never before had Arturia truly felt as much rage as she was feeling at that moment when she began to wake up. Caster had crossed a line by doing what she did. Putting Hakuno under some spell, forcing her into that dress, trying to get her to marry someone she has begun to view as her own daughter. 

She never felt the need to kill someone so badly before but now she understood the feeling. As she looked around, she quickly could sense people behind her, likely Shirou and the others have come in to help. 

As she looked towards Caster, she noticed she was wounded and Hakuno was nowhere to be seen. Her mind quickly came to one possibility but any thoughts ended up being replaced with even more rage. If Caster had harmed Hakuno…

No, she was done letting Caster do as she pleased. She would quickly kill Caster and try to find where Hakuno was. She quickly stood up and stared at Caster. 

“Enough of your games, Caster! Where is Hakuno?!”

She didn’t give Caster a chance to even respond as she rushed at her. She was ending this now. She grabbed Caster and pinned her against the wall as she raised her sword. She was more than ready to bring it down and end Caster, only for EMIYA to grab her wrist.

“Saber, wait. Caster is the least of our problems.”

“Least of our problem!? She tried to force me to marry Hakuno! She had Hakuno in some ridiculous dress! She is the entire reason Hakuno is in this situation and you’re saying she is the least of our problems!?”

“Morgan is in control. At least, that is what Caster said and the one spell that was cast off that seemed to have wounded Caster didn’t feel like Hakuno.”

She went completely silent as her arm fell to her side. She quickly turned back towards Caster.

“How long?”

“Hard to say. She used the spell I placed on Hakuno to prevent her from fighting or trying to escape in order to hide the fact she had taken over. At most, she would have been in control since around noon.”

Hearing this only reignited her hate for Caster. Caster’s own carelessness allowed Morgan to take over Hakuno. While she could easily kill Caster and her Master, EMIYA was right. They needed Caster alive if they hoped to get Morgan out of Hakuno’s head. She let go of Caster and stared at her.

Before she could make any kind of a threat, her eyes caught a bit of motion coming from hallways leaving the main room. Everyone’s gaze shifted once they saw Arutria looking that was. Soon enough, Hakuno, still in the dress Caster had put her in, slowly walked into the room. 

Hakuno had her head looking down towards the ground, preventing any of them from seeing if Morgan was in control or if Hakuno had taken back control. Knowing her sister, she knew it was Morgan trying to appear as though Hakuno was back in control. She wasn’t buying it and she was done playing games with Morgan.

“You can drop the act Morgan, Caster told us everything. Give Hakuno back control or Caster will split you from her, by force.”

She watched as they simply stand. Not responding, moving or even preparing to attack. She didn’t know what Morgan was playing at but her silence only made Arturia even more furious as she threatens her.

“I won’t say again, Morgan. Give Hakuno back-”

“So, Morgan did tell the truth. You did know it was her this entire time.”

Arturia felt her heart sank as she hears Hakuno’s voice. All she can do is stare and quickly understand the gravity of what she had inadvertently done as Hakuno looked up at them with tears in her eyes.

“You knew...and you never told me.”

 

Morgan sighed as she observed the situation going as she did not imagine. Firstly, rather than attacking and quickly defeating Medea and her Master in order to save Arturia, they all ended up talking. It was quickly clear her cover was blown.

However, her hopes were raised when Arturia woke up and went to attack Medea. Then, her hopes were dashed as Archer stopped her and they began talking again. Last time she checked, this was a Grail War, not a Grail ‘sit together and talk’. 

She knew it would only be a few minutes before they would all split up and try to search for her. She didn’t like the prospect of taking all of them on. If she didn’t take Medea out immediately, then she ran the risk of Medea using her noble phantasm and possibly splitting her from Hakuno. She would be easy to finish off if that happened. 

As she watched them talked, she quickly came to a realization. They all believed she had taken control of Hakuno and was not going to give back control. If they saw her, they would all be under the mindset that she was in control and not Hakuno, especially Arturia.

She simply smiled. She knew the best way to ensure that Hakuno was all hers. While Hakuno hearing the truth from her had gotten her control of Hakuno if Hakuno heard Arturia or anyone else confirms what she had said then she would never trust any of them again.

She looked towards Hakuno who was sound asleep and began to wake her up.

‘Hakuno, wake up. Arturia and the others are here.’

She watched as Hakuno slowly began to wake up and she looked confused at her.

‘Morgan?’

‘Come on, Hakuno. I think it’s time we went back.’

‘I thought you didn’t want me near Arturia, Shirou, Rin, and Archer..’

‘I don’t but they are better than being around Caster. I know you likely don’t want to go back to them, now knowing they lied and kept secrets from you, but they won’t try anything, unlike Caster.’

She felt Hakuno beginning to take control as she went silent. All she needed to do is wait and hope Arturia took the bait. She couldn’t help but smile as she hoped this plan would go as well as she had imagined. 

 

Hakuno wasn’t sure why Morgan was giving her back control. If they could run, why didn’t she simply ran to avoid both Caster and Arturia? Still, while she wasn’t sure if she could trust Morgan, nothing Morgan had said had been wrong but she couldn’t know for sure if she was telling the truth or was tricking her. 

She needed to keep her cation up when dealing with Morgan. For now, she just needed to get out of here and find Arturia. As her vision began to come back, she simply looked down at what she was wearing and she felt her face immediately heat up from embarrassment. 

Caster, at some point, had gotten her in a dress that showed a bit too much skin than she liked. She could easily take the time to change but, with Caster or her master still around, she didn’t want to risk being caught and being forced to obey Caster again. 

She opened the door and checked to see if she saw anyone down the hallway. She didn’t hear anyone but she could hear Arturia’s voice coming down the hall. As she moved forward, she began to hear Caster’s voice as well. She was a bit worried. What if Caster had gotten control of Arturia.

She decided to play it safe and look down, keeping her eyes from looking at Caster, as she slowly entered the room. She quickly realized Archer, Shirou, Rin, and Sakura were also in the room. She started having doubts Caster had them all under her control. Just as she was going to look up, Arturia began to talk that stopped her in her tracks.

“You can drop the act Morgan, Caster told us everything. Give Hakuno back control or Caster will split you from her, by force.”

She didn’t know what to do or what to say. Morgan had been right. Arturia knew that she was the one in Hakuno’s head, likely knew this entire time, and she kept it a secret from her. Now, however, she is saying it as she should know. 

Even worse, everyone else was in the room too. Did Shirou, Rin, Archer, and Sakura know? Did they all know and didn’t tell her? It was one thing to keep what was so bad about Rider kissing her but to keep this from her. She couldn’t believe it.

She trusted them and they betrayed her. Arturia spoke once more as she started to feel tears forming in her eyes.

“I won’t say again, Morgan. Give Hakuno back-”

She didn’t let Arturia finish as she slowly began to raise her head.

“So, Morgan did tell the truth. You did know it was her this entire time.”

She looked at Arturia as Arturia simply stared back. She could tell Arturia hadn’t intended to say that to her. Arturia probably thought she was Morgan simply acting like her. 

Even after everything they’ve been through after she opened up to Arturia, Arturia couldn’t even tell it was her. She felt her heart begin to break from coming to that conclusion.

“You knew...and you never told me.”

Arturia tried to get a response out.

“Hakuno I-I didn’t mean-” 

She didn’t bother hearing the rest as she shifted her tear-filled gaze at the others.

“You all knew, and you didn’t tell me.”

Sakura, Archer, and Shirou were just silent as Rin looked at her.

“Hakuno, we didn’t want to freak you out. Arturia didn’t want you trying to leave or run off because of Morgan being in your head.”

That just made the pain in her heart even worst.

“Oh, so none of you trusted me to be smart and not overreact? We have known each other for months yet you still didn’t trust me?”

“That’s not at all what I’m saying, Hakuno.”

She just stared at everyone in the room. Morgan had been right about everything. All these people would hurt her. They have hurt her. Yet, now she feels nothing but hates towards them. She felt a spell being activated in her hand as she just stared at Rin before firing the spell at her. She had no idea what was going on but she felt one thing.

She felt the need to kill everyone in this room.


	50. Chapter 50

Rin was too in shock to do anything as she watched Hakuno launch a spell at her. If it wasn't for Sakura, she would have gotten hit by it. Still, this was far worse of a reaction than she could have imagined. Far worse than simply telling Hakuno the truth. 

Even after Hakuno had told them about everything about her family, they had betrayed her trust, the people she thought she could trust the most had just betrayed that trust. Now, the girl she had feelings for hated not just her but all of them. 

Arturia, looked at Hakuno as she was still trying to calm her down.

"Hakuno, please. Just calm down a listen."

Hakuno's attention focused back on her as she still held that pained but angry glare.

"Oh? Listen so you can tell me more lies? I trusted you! I confided in you Arturia and you kept something like Morgan being the ‘ghost' away from me!" 

Hakuno was too stressed and upset to calm down and listen. She didn't like the idea but they needed to knock her out or figure out some way to calm her down. 

Something she didn't understand was when Hakuno's glare turned away from them. She didn't have any clue as to what would take priority over them lying. As she turned to the direction Hakuno had begun to look at she realized what would be worst than what they did.

Hakuno was looking directly at Souichirou. The person that had killed Rider and tried to take her. Rather than running, however, he instead rushes for Hakuno, likely with the intention of knocking her out. 

Hakuno, however, was prepared for him. As he rushed her, what she could only guess was Caster's spells she had on him in case something like this happened activated making so he was much faster than he should. He managed to get behind Hakuno and procced to strike her neck only for her to vanish and reappear behind faster than any of them could react to warn Souichirou.

Hakuno raised her hand as magic began to gather around it as she could hear Hakuno mutter.

"This is for Rider."

In a moment, the entire room glowed as Hakuno fired a lightning bolt at Souichirou. It took a moment for it all to register in their heads as they see a hole in Souichirou's chest. They all watched as he falls to the ground and the room goes quiet only for Hakuno to return her gaze at them.

Rin knew Caster likely didn't have long before she would dematerialize without a source of magic. Even if she had drain Hakuno of magic earlier, she wouldn't last long without something anchoring her to the real world and Caster knew this too.

She rushed past them as she drew out a knife and looking at Hakuno.

"If I'm going to die, I'm taking you with me, Morgan!"

Arturia and EMIYA both looked at her.

"Caster, stop!"

Neither one of them could get Caster to stop as she got to Hakuno and began to attempt to strike her with it. Hakuno, however, caught it as she grabbed Caster's wrist as they could hear a second voice speaking alongside Hakuno's.

"So, this is your Noble Phantasm. A mage from the Age of Gods and the best you have is a dagger. Even Merlin had something more potent than this."

She saw Hakuno's eye no longer her regular brown color but now were more lightish brown with a green highlight to them. Hakuno gripped Caster's wrist till they heard bones break as Caster cried out in pain letting the dagger go before smiling and staring at Caster.

"I win." 

Those two words were all that was said as Hakuno or Morgan, whichever was in control at the moment, took the dagger Caster had and, with one quick slash, cut Caster's throat as she fell to the floor and began to dematerialize along with the dagger they were holding. They dropped the dagger as quickly as they had obtained it and looked at the rest of the group. 

Arturia didn't hesitate as she ran over and wrapped her arms around Hakuno as she tried once more to get them to calm down.

"Hakuno, listen to me. This isn't who you are. Morgan is just wanting you to give in to her hate."

As they spoke once more, Hakuno's voice wasn't there as the only voice was Morgan's voice.

"It's too late, sister. Hakuno is mine! You had your fun as her mother figure and you chose to lie to her. Both you and Alexandra lose!"

Just as Morgan finished talking, Caliburn, who was still sheathed, began to glow as the glow blinded all of them. Rin couldn't see what was going on or if Morgan was in control. The blinding light lasted for a few moments before slowly fading. 

 

Saber wasn't sure what had happened, one moment she was trying to get Hakuno to calm down only to find out Morgan had taken back over and then Caliburn had begun to glow so brightly that she couldn't see.

As her eyes began to be able to see once more, she looked around only to find herself not in the Church as she had been but in a plain of nothing. All around her was nothing but whiteness that went on for looked like forever.

She began to worry if Caliburn had tried to take Morgan out and worrying for Hakuno's safety only for a voice to snap her attention away from the worry. 

"At long last, we finally meet, Arturia."

She turned towards the voice only to see a girl that looked similar to Hakuno but there were a few distinct things different about her. She had similar hair to Hakuno, even being brunette, but her eyes were green, almost the same shade as her eyes.

Arturia became calmed as she figured this girl was friendly. She simply asked the girl.

"Where are we?"

"A pocket dimension I implanted into Caliburn for whenever it activated to seal Morgan. This place is only temporary and is only once use."

"Is Hakuno alright?"

The girl just smiled.

"She's alright. As I said, I left Caliburn with a once time use spell to temporarily seal my mother away if she were to ever take Hakuno completely over. When you return to the real world, Hakuno will likely be unconscious but she will be freed from Morgan's grip."

Arturia simply absorbed what this girl was saying as she slowly began to understand who this girl was. The note she had found in the chest alongside Caliburn, the fact she claimed to create this place and hid it within Caliburn, her resemblance to Hakuno, and the fact she called Morgan 'mother' only lead to one answer. One she barely could believe.

"You're Alexandra?"

Alexandra simply smiled.

"As I said, it's nice to finally meet you Arturia. Though, should I call you Aunt Arturia or Uncle Arturia?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Weird how the chapter I wanted Alexandra to finally make an appearance in is the 50th chapter. Regardless hope everyone is excited about this appearance.


	51. Chapter 51

Arturia couldn't believe what she was seeing. After everything she had found out over the past few days; the truth about Mordred and Morgan, finding Caliburn in a chest, the last thing she expected was to see Alexandra.

She should have been happy, but she couldn't help but feel like something was off. Alexandra had mentioned that she had created this place within Caliburn. She looked at the girl standing in front of her.

"You're not Alexandra, are you?"

The girl's smile faded as she nodded.

"I am am a memory of her implanted with this place to answer any questions you may have. I knew you would likely have many due from reading the note I had left with Caliburn. We do not have much time before the sealing process is complete, and this place collapses."

She just nodded her head and remained silent. The best way to get as much information was to stay quiet and let this memory Alexandra left to play out.

"First off, I imagine you are wondering how I knew you would get summoned once more and likely have come up with the only answer. Still, better to understand than to guess."

Alexandra closed her eyes for a moment before reopening then as she noticed a change. Her eyes reminded her of Merlin's eyes as they looked inhuman. Rather than a pure pupil, her pupils had become slits, similar to how cats' eyes were.

"Like Merlin, I have Clarvioyance but, rather than merely allowing things to play out or trying to prevent situations of happening, I ensure events play as intended to sure I can change the ending. As for what I meant by Hakuno being the key to Camelot's future, I'm afraid I can't fully explain that."

She just looked at Alexandra.

"Why not? Alexandra, Camelot is gone. How can Hakuno change anything as to what happened?"

"Changing what happened isn't what I wish. What I want is to allow Camelot to rise once more."

She wasn't sure what exactly Alexandra meant, not how she intended to go about this idea of hers. Before she could ask anything else, the place began to shake as Alexandra looked around.

"Caliburn has finished the seal. It won't last for long, though."

Alexandra then turned back towards her.

"The only thing that can keep Morgan sealed for good is the Grail. If you win, you have to use it to create a seal that uses your natural magic resistance as a defense. That, along with Hakuno's mana regenerating any damage, should prevent Morgan from being free. You'll have to stay in the real world after the war but, with Hakuno, I'm sure you wouldn't mind."

She didn't know what to say as she watched the world around her collapse as she felt herself being pulled back to reality. She looked at Alexandra as she smiled as the world collapsed utterly.

"I'll see you in a few years, Uncle."

She opened her eyes and found herself back in the church. The light that had engulfed everything had dissipated as Rin, Shirou, Sakura, and EMIYA all begin to look around as they seem to regain their sight.

Her attention then shifted to check on Hakuno, who was motionless in her arms. Considering how angry she was a moment ago, she expected a bit of something left. She was surprised to find Hakuno asleep as she seems so peaceful now.

Rin, who was confused about Hakuno being asleep, just looked at Arturia.

"Arturia, what happened? Why is Hakuno asleep when she was so angry just a moment ago, and what was that light?"

She looked toward her as she tried her best to explain what happened.

"EMIYA was right about Caliburn being something to help against Morgan. Alexandra had stored a seal to deal with Morgan temporarily."

Shirou and Sakura looked relieved. Shirou just looked at the sleeping Hakuno.

"At least she won't have to deal with Morgan for a bit."

Rin, however, still was confused about the entire situation.

"How do you know that Arturia? All it looked like was a big flash of light."

Arturia looked at all of them, knowing what she was about to say was going to be hard to swallow.

"Alexandra or, rather, a memory she left in Caliburn told me. She said that she couldn't tell me about why Hakuno was necessary or what she meant by Camelot's future. She did say that she would see me again in a few years, but I have no idea what that means."

Rin, Shirou, Sakura, and EMIYA just looked at each other. They had no reason not to believe her, but she could tell the idea of what she said happening to be hard to find real. Regardless, she continued with what Alexandra had told her.

"She also said that the only thing that can keep Morgan sealed is the Grail. Meaning, if we want to ensure Hakuno has a peaceful future, we need to win this war."

EMIYA just looked at her.

"Why seal her? We could easily use to Grail to remove Morgan from Hakuno. Why would Alexandra want to seal her away in Morgan?"

Arturia hadn't thought about it. The Grail should be able just to split Morgan and Hakuno. Alexandra had suggested sealing Morgan in Hakuno using the Grail. Alexandra seemed aware of how dangerous her mother was, so why not split the two?

Sakura just sighed.

"Look, we have Hakuno back. Not the best way to get her back but we have her. Let's take Hakuno back to the house and wait for her to wake up. Once she does, we'll explain everything to her. No more secrets or lies."

Rin was too busy to agree as she was looking over at the dead body of her teacher.

"What do we do about him?"

EMIYA placed a hand on Rin's shoulder.

"I'll take care of him. You all go home and rest."

Arturia couldn't argue with the rest part. She felt tired after everything that had happened. However, the issue she did have was going back to Shirou's place. Shirou took noticed and looked at her. 

"Arturia? Is something wrong?"

She just looked at them as she picked Hakuno up in her arms.

"I think it's for the best if I took Hakuno back to her place and talk to her alone when she wakes up."

"Arturia, you don't have to do that alone. We all were in on it."

"Only because I asked you two to not say a word to her about it. I was the one who decided to keep it from her, not you two. It's only fair that I deal with her anger alone."

Rin and Shirou looked at each other a bit reluctant, but they both must have guessed nothing was going to change her mind. She caused all of this by deciding what was best for Hakuno. If Hakuno should be mad at anyone, it should be her.

"I will ask one thing: Could one of you bring that bag of candy I got for Hakuno to her house? Maybe some sweets could help."

Shirou nodded as she just smiled.

"Thank you, Shirou."

"If anything happens, let us know. Hakuno is mad at all of us, not just you."

That was what she was hoping to fix. Hakuno shouldn't be mad at them for agreeing to remain silent. Hakuno should be angry at her and her alone. 

With all that said, she left ahead of the others. Hakuno didn't stir in her sleep the whole way back to her home. Once they were inside, she made sure to lock it to prevent anyone that wasn't a servant inside. The last thing she wanted for Hakuno to get kidnapped again. 

She took Hakuno to her room and laid her down in her bed. There was a chair in the room that she sat in as she waited for Hakuno to wake up. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do when Hakuno woke up. 

Shirou came by a bit after that to drop off the bag of candy. Otherwise, she sat in that chair, waiting for Hakuno to wake up. Around midnight, Hakuno began to stir awake. She didn't jolt up or anything as she sat up and looked around before looking at her. 

Arturia knew what she should have done but, after everything that had happened, she couldn't help but go over and hug Hakuno. 

"I'm so sorry, Hakuno. I'm sorry that I kept the truth about Morgan from you."


	52. Chapter 52

Hakuno felt so confused about what had happened. She remembered hearing about how Arturia knew about the ghost being Morgan but then everything started getting fuzzy. 

She couldn't clearly remember or see what had happened at the church. The last thing she remembered seeing was a flash of light and then nothing. She couldn't feel Morgan anymore either. So, waking up with Arturia hugging her and apologizing to her didn't clear anything. 

She pulled away from Arturia and looked at her as she decided to clear the bit with Morgan up.

"So, you knew the ghost was Morgan. How long did you know?"

"Ever since the night you told us about her appearance, I knew it was her. I was worried you would panic and runoff, so I asked Shirou and Rin not to say anything about it. I'm the one you should be upset at, not them."

So, they knew since that night. Sure, she was hurt, but Arturia wasn't wrong about it. She would have likely run off after hearing that. There was a part of her wanted to run off even now. Still, she wasn't mad.

"Arturia, I'm not mad. A little hurt but nothing you did was wrong. You probably made right and-"

"Stop it."

"Huh?"

Arturia looked up at her.

"Stop trying to be kind and forgive me so quickly. I made the same mistake when it came to Lancelot, and I learned last war how that was a bad idea."

She was even more confused. Did Lancelot get summoned in the last war? Maybe she could look up info on that later. For now, she knew her priorities as she looked at Arturia.

"Look, it hurts to think that you lied to me. While it may take some time to get over it, that doesn't mean I'm going to stay mad at you forever. How can I when I'm supposed to view you like my mom?"

Arturia looked a bit shocked.

"You...you still are ok with that?"

"You think one lie that was made to prevent me from getting upset is going to undo everything else you and the others have done for me? Come on, who do I look like, Shinji?"

She couldn't help but laugh. Maybe Arturia was serious, but she found the whole thing silly. Arturia ended up joining her in laughing a little. Even if she didn't know what she meant, seeing her happy must be making Arturia feel better. Arturia smiled as she looked at Hakuno.

"I can see now why EMIYA hated you for being so kind."

"EMIYA? You mean Shirou, right?"

Arturia just smiled and shook her head.

"I think it's better if Archer explained."

Now she was confused again. Was Archer name EMIYA? Was he Shirou's adopted dad's ancestor then and he got summoned? That would be weird if it weren't for the fact she was talking with her ancestor's uncle. Everything seemed nice till she looked down at her dress as she saw the stains of red on it. Arturia quickly took noticed and, seeming to know, what happened took her hands.

"Hakuno, look at me."

She couldn't get herself to listen as her mind quickly panicked as she remembered, seeing her hurt people. She didn't hurt Sakura, Shirou, Rin, or Archer did she? Arturia pulled her close and hugged her once more.

"What happened wasn't your fault. That was all Morgan. You're not to blame."

Something told her otherwise as she asked.

"Who did I hurt?" 

"Hakuno, you didn't hurt anyone."

"Arturia, who did I hurt?"

She heard Arturia sighed as she figured Hakuno wasn't going to let up.

"Morgan killed Caster and her master. Morgan did."

"I was somewhat aware...I could have tried to stop her. I could have-"

She stopped as she felt Arturia put something sweet in her mouth. She began to calm down as Arturia kept her close and rubbed the back of her head.

"Morgan and her influence on you is what killed them. Their deaths are not your fault Hakuno. It's Morgan."

Hearing Morgan's name is what caused her to remember the fact she couldn't feel her anymore. She didn't know if they freed her or not, but she needed to be sure. She finished eating the sweet as she looked to see Arturia getting another one prepared.

"What happened with Morgan? I can't feel her there anymore. D-did you guys get rid of her?"

Arturia looked back at her.

"We...found something left by Alexandra that ended up helping reseal Morgan."

"Wait, so Morgan is gone then?"

"Temporarily but yes, hopefully until we win the Grail and use it to make a more permanent one."

"Ok, why is it as soon as I get an answer to one thing, you say some other stuff that makes me have another question?"

Arturia just laughed at that comment.

"We all had a long day. While Caster was keeping you, Rin, Sakura, and I came back here because Archer said there might have been something to help deal with Morgan. We were surprised to find a special sword in a chest that only I could open."

Arturia got up as she went over to the chair she was sitting at when Hakuno had first woken up and picked up something from behind it. It took Hakuno a moment, but she quickly recognized the sword. 

"That's...That's Caliburn!"

Arturia just smiled.

"Rin and Sakura had no idea what it was until I told them."

"Of course they wouldn't know. Caliburn was supposed to be destroyed right? Even Morgan's diary said so."

She was standing up as she needed to look at it herself. It had to be a fake. There was no way Caliburn was in one piece. As she looked at it, the blade started to glow, lighting the room that had no lights aside from the glow from the moon outside. Arturia held out the sword to her.

"Try it."

"Huh? What you mean 'try it'?"

"I mean, try handling it. Try it, and I'll continue explaining."

She figured Arturia was serious. She wasn't sure why. Only Arturia should be able to handle it and anyone else would have a hard time or wouldn't be able to pick it up period. At least, that was what she thought. 

She was surprised when she unsheathed the sword and swung it around with ease. It felt light and wasn't that hard to do the swings she did. Granted, she had to be careful not to know down anything, but it still felt comfortable. 

She just looked at Arturia, who was smiling the most she had seen her smile.

"Guess you are the one I trust the most."

"What do you mean by that? You said you would explain if I tried handling Caliburn."

"And how does it feel?"

She looked at the blade. While the glowing had stopped, she still felt a warmth coming from it. She looked back at Arturia.

"Like it belongs in my hands, which doesn't make sense if this really is Caliburn. It belongs to you, right?"

"Alexandra had found the broken pieces of it and rebuilt it. Its true name now is Caliburn Alexandra. While it is ok with me using it, it still bears hate towards me for breaking it."

"But that was Morgan. She set up the trap."

"She may have, but I was the one who broke the rules of Chivalry. That was what got Caliburn broken."

Arturia walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder.

"It belongs to you now."

She didn't know what to say. Rather, she couldn't say anything. She couldn't help but feel proud, happy, and a bunch of other emotions. Arturia was entrusting Caliburn, a sword she valued more than Excalibur, to her. If she hadn't gone through everything she had, she might pinch herself because it would have felt like a dream. 

Arturia gave her another piece of candy as Hakuno took it and ate it. As she was eating it, Arturia finished up explaining things.

"Alexandra had left a memory for me and a sealing spell to keep Morgan busy for a while. She said that the only way to seal Morgan ultimately was to create one using the Grail."

"So, is that what you will wish for if you win? I know you had your wish and it's probably essential but-"

Arturia just stopped her and looked at her.

"I no longer desire my wish. I wanted to go back and prevent myself from becoming King, but, if I did that, you would likely never exist. I can't do that to you, your family, or Alexandra after everything you all had done for me."

She couldn't help but smiled as she heard Arturia said that. She was glad Arturia wasn't looking to do that anymore. Sure, she made mistakes, but that didn't take away from the fact she did everything she could for a kingdom that was predestined to fail. 

She looked at the clock. It was around one o clock. Rin, Shirou, and Sakura were all probably asleep by now. She didn't want to wake them up, considering they likely had been up early the night before when she got taken by Caster. So, now would be a good time as any.

"Hey, Arturia, since you can read Latin, could you teach me how to as well? It'll be a lot easier if I can reason some of this stuff myself without having you to translate for me."

She saw Arturia smile and even shed a bit of a tear as she nodded, grabbing one of the books of her legends that was in Latin. She took Hakuno's hand and lead her to the living room and sit down before opening it and starting to help her read it. She couldn't help but remember the dream she had a few months back about her mom reading to her one of the legends. 

She couldn't help but smile as she leaned in and read with Arturia. They could have slept or done something else, but Arturia spent all till sun raise teaching her how to read Latin. She enjoyed every moment of it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wooo two chapters in one day. I really want to try and get this story finished so likely expect only this story for a while. Granted I said that about twice now but I mean it this time. I want to have this story finished by the end of September. Let's see if I can't get that goal completed.


	53. Chapter 53

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter for you all. Hope you enjoy.

After some time teaching Hakuno about Latin, Hakuno taking a shower, and changing into something less fancy looking, Arturia and Hakuno found themselves eating.

While she had suggested they go to Shirou's and eat there, Hakuno insisted they stay as she wanted her to try her cooking. She couldn't help but laugh at the idea of Hakuno being jealous of Shirou's cooking.

She figured Hakuno was still taking time to recover from what had happened yesterday and wanted some time away from Rin, Shirou, and Sakura. So, she agreed to stay and try her food.

Hakuno was looking through the mail she had missed while she had been staying at Shirou's house. She stopped reading to look at her.

"So, how is it?"

Arturia, who was in the middle of eating, looked up and smiled.

"It's good but, sadly, Shirou beats you by a little bit."

Hakuno just looked at her with a bit of a disappointed and annoyed look.

"I need to ask him for some cooking tips."

"Anything interesting in the mail?"

"No, not really. Just junk mail and coupons and...huh?"

"What?"

Hakuno picked up a letter that looked different from the other things she had been reading. She just looked at the letter.

"A letter with weird symbols. I think it is the same symbol the Einzberns had in the book I had about mage families."

Hakuno got up and went over to the bookcase. After a few minutes, she found what she was looking for and came back to the table. She got up as she was interested in what Hakuno was looking for specifically.

After a couple of minutes, she stopped on a page. She assumed this was the page Hakuno was looking to find.

"Here, they have the same symbol."

She looked at the book where Hakuno was pointing and then back to the letter Hakuno had found. Hakuno wasn't mistaken as they were the same symbol. Hakuno didn't seem to understand why she had this letter, but Arturia quickly remembered what had happened that night.

She had told Illya Hakuno's full name. She had no idea Hakuno's family status, so she didn't think it would be that big of a deal. Looking back, she should have kept it at first name and not the last. Hakuno saw her face and saw the worry.

"Arturia, what's wrong?"

"Hakuno, you remember that night with Berserker and his master right?"

"Yeah, I remember all of it up till I blacked out."

"After you blacked out, Illya decided to retreat, but she asked for your name before she left. I gave her your full name. I didn't know how big your family was at the time so I didn't think it would be bad if I did so."

Hakuno looked back at the letter but, instead of fear, she looked a bit curious as she proceeded to open it a read it.

_Dear Hakuno,_

_It took a few days, but I finally found out about your family, and I'm interested in talking. Meet me at the park near your house at noon on Wednesday. If you wish to bring the Saber servant with you, you may, but otherwise, come alone. I do not want to harm you._

_Sincerely, Illyasveil von Einzbern._

"Seems like she just wants to talk."

"Hakuno, remember the last time you talked to a Master or Servant?"

Hakuno just gave her a look. It was clear Hakuno knew she was right, but she just looked at the letter again.

"If she wanted to take me, she could have easily. Shirou's place isn't far from here and, with two servants, two masters, and two mages at one spot, I imagine she would have no trouble finding us and taking us all out. Besides, she said I could bring you along. If she wanted to take me, why allow me to bring you?"

Arturia couldn't argue with Hakuno on her logic. Still, she felt like they should tell Rin, Shirou, Sakura, and EMIYA about this.

"We should talk to Shirou and the others about this."

"Oh, so they can treat Illya and Berserker like they're the evil of the Earth as well?"

Arturia just flinched a bit as Hakuno lashed out a little. She could see why Hakuno wanted space away from them. She was still wounded about what happened with Rider. Hakuno realized what she had said and looked a bit apologetic.

"Look, I know I haven't made the smartest decisions during this war, but I feel really good about this one. Illya could have just stolen me that night, and none of you would have been able to stop her. She didn't do that, though. She could have come by and stolen me, but she didn't. She wants to treat me like a person, so let's give her the time to try and diplomatic about this."

She just sighed. Hakuno was too sweet for her own good. Perhaps aside from a few exceptions, she believed everyone was kind like her. She knows that would be Hakuno's undoing one day but, if she had any say, that would be a long time from now.

She looked at Hakuno and nodded.

"If you really want to have this meeting with her, then I'll come along and make sure if it's a trap that you are safe."

"Thank you, Arturia."

She couldn't help but feel like she was missing something. As she looked at the pile of letters, she remembered what happened yesterday as she started searching through her pocket. Hakuno looked a bit confused.

"Arturia?"

"It should be, hah, here it is."

She pulled out the letter she had grabbed from yesterday and put it in front of Hakuno.

"It was something was laying around on the counter. I grabbed it before we left and I meant to have Shirou or Rin look at it, but we were all too worried about you that I forgot about it. Maybe you know about it?"

Hakuno took it and looked at it.

"No, I don't. While I would like to look at it, I rather us be there before Illya gets there, so we don't keep her waiting."

Arturia just nodded. Hakuno got up and put all the dishes in the sink to clean later. As Hakuno was getting to leave, but she looked down at Caliburn and realized an issue.

"If I went out with this, many people are going to give me weird looks."

She understood what Hakuno meant and nodded. Hakuno should leave the Caliburn here. However, Hakuno was a bit hesitant about it and looked back down at the sword.

"I don't know if you can hear me, but is it possible for you to change your appearance?"

Arturia couldn't help but let out a bit of a giggle. Sure, the sword has some sense of sentience, but it wasn't that much.

"Hakuno, Caliburn doesn't work like that. You should just-"

As if Caliburn was trying to prove her wrong, she watched as Hakuno's magic circuits reacted for a few moments. Caliburn took some of Hakuno's mana into itself before glowing as its appearance became that of a simple kendo stick with a strap around it to hang off of Hakuno's back.

Hakuno looked at the now kendo stick sword before looking back at Arturia.

"Did Caliburn ever do that when it was with you?"

"No. Must of been something Alexandra did to it. Guess she figured you would have a hard time parting with it once you got your hands on it."

She also couldn't help but felt Alexandra gave it more sentience and now it was being sassy with her. How odd of it to change it's appearance just as she said it couldn't. Hakuno didn't take notice of her annoyance, however.

"Well yeah. It is the sword Caliburn. I don't want it to be lost again."

She couldn't help but smile as they walked out and headed to the park. Hakuno's love and dedication to her legends were very much something she found was adorable of her to do. Alexandra had mentioned how she would have to stay to ensure the seal on Morgan remained. So long as Hakuno was around, she didn't mind remaining in the world after the war.


	54. Chapter 54

While Hakuno was sure that going to meet with Illya was a good idea, she still felt bad about keeping the others in the dark about it. She had Arturia in case things go south, but a part of her felt like she should tell them.

Then again, they would likely do what they did with Rider and treat Illya as a threat. Illya had offered a chance to talk in peace and telling Rin and Shirou would only make them worry. 

It wasn't like Illya seemed crazy enough to do something as reckless as having Berserker attack them in the park, in broad daylight. There would be too many people to witness it and get involved. If she wanted to set up a trap, she would have done it at night.

All they could do is wait and hope Illya was true to her word on this not being a trap. While they waited, she felt like talking about what Arturia had meant earlier with Lancelot.

"You brought up Lancelot earlier. I don't remember something like you said happening in the legends."

Arturia looked over at her. There weren't many people in that park with it being a school/workday, so there wasn't much of a worry about people hearing the.

"I'm sure you are aware of my knowledge of Gilgamesh. That was because I was summoned during the last war."

"Wait, you got summoned back to back? How?"

Arturia just shrugged.

"I'm not entirely sure how Shirou summoned me. However, I was invoked during the last war, along with Gilgamesh. Lancelot was the Berserker servant of that war."

She didn't know what to say. She could only guess it must have been a hard war, especially considering what happened at the end. Arturia just looked up and continued.

"He...hated me for not punishing him. He said it was the fact I never punished him for the affair with Guinevere that caused him to go insane."

The silence continues as she was trying to process it all. She was aware of how Lancelot ended up after Arturia's death, but she didn't imagine he would end up being a Berserker servant. Arturia, after a few moments of silence, turned back to her.

"While Morgan may have created Mordred, many of the actions that had happened were my fault. Guinevere's execution, Tristan leaving, me ignoring Mordred and treating her like nothing, that was all my fault."

Hakuno grabbed her wrist as she looked at her.

"Arturia, you did everything you could. Sure, you made some bad choices, but that doesn't change that you did everything you could to maintain Camelot."

Arturia smiled at her. She was going to say more on the topic, but a familiar voice cut her off.

"I'm surprised you showed up. With how the war has been going, I thought you would figure it wasn't the time for a talk."

Both herself and Arturia turned only to see Illya along with a woman standing behind her. Like Illya, she had red eyes and was standing emotionless unlike Illya, who was looking at her and Saber smiling. 

"No trap, or set up to ambush me either. I'm a bit surprised. I know you aren't a master in the war, but I would imagine Saber's Master and the other girl you were with would have done something."

She stood up as she could understand Illya's confusion. She wasn't a Master, but she was allied with Masters. She decided she would clear up Illya's concern.

"I didn't tell either one of them about this meeting. Saber and I were at my place alone after an 'incident' yesterday, and we choose not to tell the others of this. You wanted to talk, so I came to speak with you."

Illya just smiled, clearly happy about her agreeing to it.

"I was a bit surprised to find out you came from a mage family so old. You look so plain looking."

She couldn't help but roll her eyes a little as Illya's words reminded her what Rin said when they first met.

"Trust me; I have been told about my looks many times. So, what exactly do you want to talk about?"

Illya shook her head as she points towards a car that was part near the entrance to the park.

"Why don't you two come to my place to talk?"

Arturia looked at her a bit worried. It seemed like this was looking like Caster's attempt to get them to side with her, having the two alone and talking with them. Still, her gut didn't change its stance. Illya could have gone about trying to capture or kill them in more convenient ways, yet she wanted to talk to her. She just nodded her head.

"We don't mind. Let's get going then."

Illya smiled as she and the woman headed for the car as she and Arturia followed along. Arturia took a moment to whisper to her.

"Are you sure this is a good idea? Separating us from Shirou, Rin, Sakura, and Archer might be part of her plan."

"I know, but everything about her seems like she genuinely wants to talk. If things start getting suspicious then we'll bail and get somewhere we can call for them."

She just nodded and stopped talking as they approach the car. The woman was holding the door open for them as they got into the back seat. Illya was in the front with the woman driving. 

She didn't have much experience in cars. She barely had any memories of riding in them, so it was sort of a new experience for her. Arturia, however, didn't seem to be that new to the experience, despite being from 6th Century England. 

The city buildings turned to woods and a mountainside road. She wasn't even aware of this part of Fuyuki existed. Then again, she's spent most of her life at home. Though, that would be the least surprising to her.

Soon enough, in the distance, a castle could be seen. To say that Hakuno was impressed was an understatement. She could hear Arturia trying not to laugh from the face she was making as she stared at the castle.

Illya sounded like she had figured this would impress her as she spoke from the front seat.

"If you think that is impressive, wait till you see the inside of it. I bet all that reading of King Arthur lore wouldn't prepare you for seeing a castle in real life."

If the site of the castle did not dumbfound her, she would have agreed with Illya. Even if this turned out to be a long game to try and trap them, she could still say she finally got to see a castle after years of reading about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boy, jumping into the lion's den we are.


	55. Chapter 55

Arturia wasn't sure what to think of this war anymore. 

First, she gets summoned by someone with the same last name as her Master in the previous war. Then, she meets Hakuno, who she believes is secretly Morgan. Then, Hakuno ended up using old magic to save her. Then, there was Rider and how she ended up dying to protect Hakuno rather than her own Master. 

Just thinking about Rider got her a bit angry. She was doing her best to forget the fact that she had kissed Hakuno twice without Hakuno understanding what that meant. 

Then, she ended up learning about Alexandra and the truth behind Morgan's doing, finding Caliburn in a chest meant to be opened by her alone, and taking Morgan's last descendant as her daughter. For her, this war had been a massive event, and there were still 4 Servants left in the war.

Now here she was, walking through the place she had spent time during the last war, being lead by a Master of this war. While Hakuno was enjoying the interior and her and Illya were talking like friends, she couldn't help but feel like something familiar about Illya. 

Illya eventually led them to an outdoor courtyard, one she remembers using a decade ago along with Rider and Gilgamesh. She couldn't help but feel a bit of nostalgia being back here. There was a table set up with plates and cups. Illya had prepared in advance for Hakuno to come.

She, Hakuno, and Illya sat down while the woman that was Illya and another woman who was waiting for them to arrive kept an eye on things but kept their distance. She was a bit worried they were waiting for something, but Illya waved off her worried.

"Don't worry about Liz and Sella. They're just keeping an eye on things is all." 

She turned towards Hakuno and smiled.

Hakuno looked up at Illya.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean when you jumped in to save Saber during her fight with Berserker. While I will admit it was brave, it was also idiotic."

She couldn't argue or claim what Hakuno did was anything but what Illya said. It was brave but foolish for her to do. Still, Hakuno laughed a little at the comment.

"That's fair. It's a bit complicated and hard to explain."

Illya didn't ask for more as she left it alone as she took a drink from her cup before continuing talking.

"I must say this war has been a bit of a surprise. A girl with access to old magic appearing in the war must have drawn some attention. Though, I'm not sure how much there is now with 3 of the seven servants gone."

Both she and Hakuno looked at each other while Illya looked at them.

"What?"

Hakuno turned her head back towards Illya.

"I...might have been involved with two of those deaths. I'm not sure about the other one though."

She never did tell Hakuno about Assassin. There was no reason to hide it now that both Assassin and Caster were gone.

"Assassin had been summoned by Caster. Apparently, she had broken the rules and managed to summon the Assassin servant to stand guard at her base."

Illya was taken off guard by this.

"Wait, so Hakuno was involved with Rider and Caster's death how?"

She would have explained it to Hakuno, but she was cut off by Hakuno as she described the events.

"Rider died protecting me from Caster's Master. Both Masters were people who went to my school. As for Caster and her Master, I may have killed."

The garden went silence as birds, and the wind filled the area with sound. Illya just stared at Hakuno as she went to double-check what Hakuno had said. 

"You killed Caster and her Master?"

"Look, it's a long story, and I don't wish to go into too my details. Rider was very kind to me, and I didn't take her death too well."

She couldn't help but smile as she added a comment to what Hakuno said.

"Rider had a crush for Hakuno."

Illya's eyes open wide as she looked shocked.

"Wait, what!?"

"Saber! She didn't need to know about that."

She couldn't help but laugh a bit as Hakuno blushed a bit. Illya was very much surprised to everything Hakuno had done despite not being involved with the war. 

"Hakuno, you might be the most involved non-Master ever. Fighting and protecting a servant, having one develop a crush for you and die protecting you, and then killing another one yourself. Seriously, if your parents had any idea of your capabilities, I would think they would drop their view on the war and had you enter it."

Hakuno, who was a bit embarrassed about what Saber had said quickly looked away and saddened as Illya got confused.

"What? Did I say something that offended you?"

Hakuno shook her head as she stepped away from the table for a moment leaving herself and Illya there. Illya turned towards her.

"Is there something I don't know about?"

She figured it was best if she let Illya know, so the girl knew for future conversations about bringing up the topic of family.

"Hakuno lost both her parents by the time she was 6. She has spent the past decade alone for the most part."

"Ahh...I can understand the feeling. Both of my parents were apart of the last Grail War, and they had summoned a Saber servant, but they still didn't win. My mother died during the war and as for my father..."

"What about your father?"

"I'm sure Shirou has talked about him at some point. He did abandon me for him."

She wasn't sure what Illya was referring to about her father ditching her for Shirou, but she understood who her parents were now. Shirou's last name and Illya's mention of the Saber servant was clear. She got up.

"I'm going to go check on Hakuno if you do not mind."

Illya shook her head as she got up and went over to Hakuno, who was looking at the flowers in the garden. She tapped her shoulder as Hakuno turned towards her.

"Sorry, I needed a moment. I'm good now."

"That wasn't the exact reason why I came over here."

Hakuno tilted her head. 

"Then what is it?"

She lowered her voice, not wanting Illya to hear.

"Hakuno, you remember how I got summoned during the last Grail War, right?"

Hakuno nodded as she made clear she was well aware of that fact, by this point.

"I was summoned by the Einberns. Specifically, I got summoned by Illya's parents."

"Oh, so you likely have been here before then, right?"

"Yes, but that isn't what is the problem."

"Then what is?"

"I had two masters. One by the name Irisveil and the other was someone brought in who Iris fell in love with by the name of Kiritsugu Emiya."

It took a moment for Hakuno to figure it out as she looked towards Illya before looking back at Saber.

"So, Shirou would be her brother, right?"

"Yes but she believes Kiritsugu abandoned her for Shirou and she is taking that anger on the thought of him."

Hakuno thought about something for a few moments, giving a glance at Illya before returning her focus on her.

"Maybe we can convince her to come back with us to Shirou's and have them talk. Shirou or maybe even Taiga would have to know more about Kiritsugu than we do."

"Hakuno...she's our enemy, remember."

"I know, but she's suffering similarly to how I have. Have you seen anyone else besides those two maids of hers? She likely doesn't have anyone else, but, unlike me, she still has a family. She needs to try and talk to him. If we can't convince her then we will leave it alone but, if she does want to try and speak to Shirou, we should at least let her try and figure things out with him."

She wasn't sure. It was one thing to meet with an enemy Master in secret with someone who isn't even her Master and come to their base. Hakuno wanted to put Shirou, Rin, and Sakura at risk by trying to have Illya and Shirou meet to try and talk things out. 

But Hakuno would likely know that risk, even before asking Arturia. Hakuno seemed dead set on trying to have Illya and Shirou reconcile. 

"I'll try and help whenever I can, but I think you would be better at doing something like this. You did form a friendship with Rider without our help."

"Let's hope the same luck happens this time."

Hakuno looked excited for a moment, but then her expression changed as she looked scared. The same fear she wore when she had teleported with Sakura after their encounter with Gilgamesh. She was about to ask her what was wrong only for a voice to catch her attention.

"Well, I certainly did not expect this. I come to find the vessel for the Grail and, not only do I encounter it; the girl with Old Magic circuits and my favorite Saber all in one place. The world seems to be piling gifts at my feet today."

One look at him was all she needed to know it was him. His voice, his attitude, his red eyes, and gold hair were all stark reminders of her final opponent from the last war. 

"Gilgamesh."

"It has been a while, Saber. Tell me; have you rethought that offer I made to you at the end of the war."


	56. Chapter 56

"Saber, what does he mean by that? What did he ask you during the end of the last war?"

Arturia did not feel like going into details of the question Gilgamesh had asked her during the end of the last war. The prospect was insulting, and it would only likely anger Hakuno, something she didn't need to be when facing Gilgamesh. 

Of course, Gilgamesh smirked as he looked between Hakuno and her.

"Well? Aren't you going to tell her or is your code of honor preventing you from saying it out loud."

She stayed quiet as she pulled Hakuno behind her. If he wanted to get to her, he would have to go through her first. If there was one thing she and Morgan can agree on was how dangerous Gilgamesh would be to Hakuno. 

Gilgamesh only sighed as he stood up. From behind him, several golden rifts opened. She was aware of what he was doing as she stood ready with Hakuno behind her.

"I suppose there will be time later for you to confess. You two, along with the Grail, will be mine."

She was ready only for Illya, who had been preparing for the fight while they were busy talking, to give a command.

"Now, Berserker!"

Beserker jumped down in front of them as he grabbed the table with one hand before chucking it at Gilgamesh who dodged out of the way. Beserker stood in front of Illya as she looked back at both of them.

"You two need to get out of here."

Hakuno quickly looked Illya after hearing this.

"We can't just leave you."

"Of course you can. You aren't in the war, and Saber isn't my Servant. Both of you can leave."

As much as she hated the idea of leaving Illya and Berserker behind, Hakuno would only get in the way. Berserker was strong; she knew that much. If there were any servant that could deal with Gilgamesh, it would be him. 

She took Hakuno's hand before looking at Illya.

"Thank you, Illya."

"You can thank me by getting out of here."

That was all she needed to hear as she grabbed Hakuno and began to leave the courtyard. She could hear Gilgamesh yelling something to her, but the sound of Berserker and the clashing of swords made it impossible for her to listen to what he was saying. 

 

Hakuno did not like what they were doing. She was well aware of how dangerous Gilgamesh was. Arturia choosing to run and Morgan admitting him to be the one person she would not side with was proof of that. 

She, however, did not like the fact that they were leaving Illya and Beserker to fight him on their own. While her, Archer, and Arturia, they weren't able to take him down, she couldn't help but feel Gilgamesh had the means to deal with Berserker. If he was willing to come here alone to fight Illya, then he must be confident enough to take Berserker on.

They were running through the castle as Arturia was leading the way. She was probably trying to conserve mana in case Gilgamesh came after them. Otherwise, she could probably pick her up and get away faster than both of us on foot. 

"Arturia...we aren't leaving Illya to fight Gilgamesh alone are we?"

"Illya seemed confident Berserker can handle him. Have faith in her."

Arturia sounded like she was sure, but she knew Arturia couldn't be sure. The fact that both she and Morgan saw Gilgamesh as a threat meant she knew what Gilgamesh was capable of doing.

She stopped as Arturia turned towards her.

"Hakuno, we need to go. Illya is buying us time to leave." 

"Is there any way for you to talk to Shirou for a distance? Like how Rin can talk to Archer?" 

Arturia looked at her for a few moments before she nodded but still looked confused.

"Why do you ask?"

"Then go contact Shirou and tell them where we are. Knowing Archer and how he seems to know a lot, he might be able to find this place."

"What about you?"

She looked back in the direction they came from, and she could sense Illya, Berserker, and Gilgamesh in that direction. While she could feel a shiver go down her spine from sensing Gilgamesh, she managed to deal with it. Arturia, seemingly figuring out what Hakuno was planning, voiced her objection.

"No, you are not staying here to keep an eye on the fight Hakuno. I forbid it."

"Arturia, you're the only one who can get a message out to Shirou, and I am the only one who can keep an eye on the fight. If we leave and then come back, we won't know if we are walking into a trap or not."

"Hakuno..."

"I am not going to abandon her, Arturia. You told me she didn't know about what happened with her dad. We may be enemies in this war, but that doesn't mean she doesn't deserve to know the truth. If I stop being able to sense them, I'll teleport to you, and we can run, but if they are still there, I want to make sure. I don't want us to drag Rin, Shirou, Sakura, and Archer into another trap."

Arturia just stared at her as the castle shook a little from the battle. Arturia sighed in defeat and looked at her.

"You promise you'll stay here and not go back?"

"I promise I won't move an inch."

Arturia nodded as she made her way down the hallway and out of her line of sight. After a few moments, she sighed and turned back towards the direction the fighting was happening.

"I'm sorry, Arturia."

She was sorry that she was breaking her promise to her, but she couldn't stand the thought of standing around and doing nothing. She did that when Rider protected her and died. She did that when Caster had kidnapped her and used her as bait. She did that when Rin, Sakura, Shirou, Archer, and Arturia all came to save her from Caster.

She had enough of doing nothing. Gilgamesh wanted Illya. She wasn't sure what for or what he had meant by Illya being the vessel for the Grail, but it was clear she was crucial to whatever plan he had. If she could get close to Illya and if Berserker fell, she could teleport herself and Illya to Arturia, and they could flee together. She wanted Illya to find out the truth about her and Shirou's father and if he abandoned her for Shirou or not.

She started making her way down the hallway towards the fight. She had done a lot of crazy things in this war, but she knew this was the craziest thing yet. 

 

Arturia disliked the idea of leaving Hakuno alone, again. Whenever she left her alone, almost always something terrible happened to her. Morgan trying to control her, Rider messing with how she felt and taking advantage of her lack of knowledge, and her getting kidnapped were all things that happened when she wasn't around.

It wasn't Hakuno's fault these things happened. It was more so she somehow attractive trouble. 

Despite that, Hakuno was determined to save Illya from Gilgamesh. She realized that nothing she could say would sway her from trying — the best she could do and get in contact with Shirou and tell him the situation.

After a few minutes of running through the forest, she felt a change in the air. The best she could guess was, whatever barrier surrounded the castle, she was out of it. She looked towards the city and tried to focus as she tried to contact Shirou.

'Shirou? Can you hear me?'

She waited for a few moments. She hadn't tried talking using this method due to Shirou being close by, so she wasn't sure if it would work or not. Thankfully, Shirou's voice proved the technique worked.

'Arturia? Is that you?'

'Shirou, it's me. Listen, I-'

'Where have you and Hakuno been? We've been trying to find you two all day?'


	57. Chapter 57

Shirou never really noticed how empty his house could be without Arturia and Hakuno around. Sure, Rin, Sakura, and EMIYA were around, and Taiga had come for breakfast, but there was just something missing from the room as they ate. 

What had happened yesterday was still fresh on his mind. Hakuno finding out what happened and how they had kept the truth about Morgan away from her the entire time. 

Arturia had told them that she would explain to Hakuno that she told them to keep it a secret. He trusted her to get through to Hakuno. Still, it didn't excuse what they had done about Rider.

They were supposed to be fighting other Masters yet here they were fighting each other. The guilt of what had happened was getting to all of them. Sakura, at least, couldn't be bothered by it due to never knowing before Hakuno getting taken by Caster. As for Rin, she had barely said anything today.

Now, it was nearing noon and Arturia, and Hakuno had yet to come back. He wasn't much worried that something happened, but he was worried the reason they hadn't come back was that Hakuno was still angry with them.

As, himself, Sakura, and Rin sat around not sure what to do, he figured he would try and make Rin feel better about what happened.

"Rin, listen Arturia said she would make sure Hakuno knows we only kept quiet because she asked us to stay silent. Plus, it's Hakuno. She needs time to think it over is all."

Rin, after a few moments of not saying a word looked up at him.

"The reason I went to her room the other night when we found out she got taken was because I wanted to apologize for what I said about Rider. If I had awoken a bit earlier, I might have been able to stop Medea, and none of this would be happening."

"Rin, it's not your fault-

"We could have told her everything yesterday morning, but instead she got kidnapped and had to learn about who Morgan was from Morgan herself. Even worse was her finding out we knew and never told her, the people she had complete trust in and we betrayed that."

"Rin!"

Rin stopped as she realized she was going on a tangent about something none of them could change. What happened had happened, and they were all at fault, in some way, for allowing it. She sighed as she looked back at them.

"Sorry. I'm just worried Hakuno hates my guts now. You saw what she did yesterday."

Sakura chimed in before he could.

"You heard Arturia, that was Morgan. That wasn't Hakuno who attacked you?"

"She was under Morgan influence but, the question is, how much of it was Morgan and how much of it was Hakuno?"

Sakura and himself both were silent. Neither of them could say if it had been Morgan's doing or if Hakuno was involved in some part. Hakuno had every right to be angry at them, but he didn't think she would go so far as to attack them.

With Taiga gone, EMIYA appeared in the room and decided to voice his thoughts.

"If that is your worry, then you should relax. If Hakuno is like the one from my world, she can't stay mad or hold grudges. I'm sure she'll be fine after hearing Arturia say she asked you two to stay silent."

He could agree to that. From what time he had spent with Hakuno at school, she wasn't the type to be angry at a person for long. Rin looked a bit relieved, but she still was bothered enough to as EMIYA to do something.

"Can you go check and make sure Hakuno and Arturia are alright?"

EMIYA didn't even give a response as he went back into spirit form. From Rin sitting back down, he guessed EMIYA did as she asked. With all that in mind, he felt like something needed to be brought up.

"What do we do now? With Rider, Caster, and Assassin out of the war, that leaves Berserker and Lancer. We don't know where either one is."

Sakura nodded as she pointed out another issue as well.

"There's also Gilgamesh. He may not be a servant in this war but, from what we know about him, Hakuno is in danger so long as he is around."

That was another issue on the table. None of the three had no idea where Gilgamesh was as well nor did they know where Kirei was. A person that was supposed to keep an eye on the war was missing, they had no idea where the two remaining servants were, and they had a servant from the last war walking around, looking for Hakuno.

Rin looked up and smiled.

"Well, we do have an Archer who has lived this war out before. Maybe we can ask him if he has any idea where we could find Berserker."

Sakura just looked at Rin.

"Even if we do find him, how do we take him down? With both EMIYA and Arturia, Berserker still came out fine. Even Hakuno couldn't do much against him."

Shirou looked at his command seals and thought about what Arturia had told them when they were waiting for night to fall the previous day. Caster wanted Hakuno to form a contract with Arturia as she thought the two would be strong enough to beat Berserker. Rin and Sakura took notice of him looking at his command seals with Rin catching his attention.

"Is something wrong, Shirou?"

He put his hand away and smiled.

"No, just thinking is all."

They needed to take down Lancer and Berserker and end the war before the seal Caliburn had on Morgan broke. Unless they found Lancer and convinced him and his Master into an alliance to take down Berserker, they had no means of winning. Hakuno needed the Grail to deal with Morgan. 

While he wanted the Grail to prevent a similar tragedy that happened to him from happening again, knowing Hakuno was in danger due to Morgan, he didn't want it if it meant Hakuno would be stuck dealing with Morgan for the rest of her life. He wanted to fight in the war to help Hakuno. It would be something to discuss with Hakuno and Arturia in private. Hakuno is already someone involved with the war. Him making her Arturia's Master wouldn't make her situation any worse than it already was.

About fifteen minutes after EMIYA left to check on Hakuno, he reappeared in the room. EMIYA, however, looked more annoyed than anything.

"We have a problem."

Before any of them could make assumptions, he put a letter on the table as Rin took it and read it to herself. Once she finished, she facepalmed and groaned.

"They didn't."

"They did. At least Arturia is with Hakuno and Hakuno didn't go alone."

"True...but still, after what happened yesterday, Arturia risked that?"

"Hakuno probably realized that if Illya wanted to take her, she could have done so the night we fought her or at any point. Unlike Caster, she had a name thanks to Arturia. Wouldn't have taken her long to find her house and likely find all us. From what I know, Illya probably just wanted to talk."

The moment he heard Illya's name spoken was what caused him to interject between Rin and EMIYA.

"Wait what's this about Illya?"

Rin showed him the letter but summed it up, so he didn't have to read it.

"Illya sent Hakuno a letter wanting to talk. Hakuno and Arturia went."

"That's bad, though, right?"

"Not really, Illya wouldn't gain anything from killing Hakuno. She likely doesn't have the means to break Arturia's contract with you for Hakuno. Even if she did, why would she give Arturia the possible power to take down Berserker? I think it is just her wanting to talk to Hakuno."

It made sense, Hakuno wasn't a part of this war traditionally, so Illya would have no reason to take Hakuno. He still found it hard to believe that Illya invited Hakuno to talk during a time she should be fighting. If EMIYA and Rin thought it was okay, then he relaxed as well. Hakuno and Arturia would likely chat with Illya, come back and end up being at their door before they knew it.

Unfortunately, about an hour later around one o clock, He heard Arturia's voice in his head as she sounded a bit panicked. 

'Shirou? Can you hear me?'

He wasn't sure how he heard it until he remembered how Arturia had told Rin to check on EMIYA. Rin managed to come back quickly so she mustn't have left the house. The best he could guess was this was how she and EMIYA talked.

'Arturia? Is that you?'

'Shirou, it's me. Listen I-'

Shirou couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. Arturia had this means of communication the entire time, and she only felt like now using it? Why didn't she use it when Hakuno got taken by Caster? He wasn't sure if it could wake him up, but it would still have been worth a try. He accidentally blurted out something he didn't mean in response.

'Where have you and Hakuno been? We've been trying to find you two all day?'

'Shirou?'

He took a moment to compose himself before he continued.

'Sorry but seriously, not only allowing Hakuno to go Illya's but going with her without telling us, especially when you could have done this?'

'Shirou now is not the time. Gilgamesh is fighting Illya and Berserker.'

That put whatever else he was going to say on halt.

'Did you say Gilgamesh is fighting Illya and Berserker.

'Yes. Hakuno, myself, and Illya were at her Castle when Gilgamesh appeared. Beserker is holding him off, but I'm not sure how long he can last, and Hakuno is not going to leave Illya to die.'

Just as Arturia said this and shock came to his face, everyone noticed as Rin looked at him.

"Shirou? What's wrong?"

He didn't answer her as he turned towards EMIYA.

"Where's Illya's Castle?"

EMIYA looked a bit surprised by him asking that question.

"You mean the Einzbern's Castle? It's on the outskirts of town. Why? what's wrong?"

He got up as he responded to EMIYA.

"Because Gilgamesh is there fighting Berserker right now and Arturia told me Hakuno isn't leaving Illya behind."

EMIYA banged the back of his hand against the wall.

"I can carry two of you but not all three. If anyone has to stay behind, it should be Sakura."

Rin and Shirou were going to argue, but Sakura just looked at the two of them.

"I'm not a Master anymore, you two are. Go!"

EMIYA took that as the decision made as he grabbed both Shirou and Rin before jumping, staying out of any populated roads and streets as he headed his way to the outskirts of town. 

After a few minutes of EMIYA carrying them across town and to the outskirts, a Castle became visible in the distance. He had no idea this place even exists. Before admiring it any longer, Arturia became visible to him standing outside the forest. Though, he didn't see any sign of Hakuno.

"There!"

EMIYA took noticed and landed down near her as he let them go. He looked around to see where Hakuno was only to see she was nowhere around. Before he could ask Arturia where Hakuno was, the sky was filled with a golden glow as a pillar of light rose quickly into the atmosphere. He wasn't sure what had happened as it disappeared but the faces Arturia and EMIYA were making said they knew. She heard Arturia mumbling.

"No...no no she promised she wouldn't go back."

EMIYA didn't even say a word as he rushed towards the Castle, faster than any of them could catch up to him. Rin looked towards Arturia.

"Arturia, what is going on? What was that?"

"Come on; we have to hurry!"

Arturia headed through the forest as he followed with Rin behind him. Arturia stayed within sight, so he and Rin didn't get lost. It was very much clear Arturia, and EMIYA were both scared for whatever reason, and he had a bad feeling it had something to do with Hakuno.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> phew, 0ver 2 thousand words. I hope everyone is hyped for the end, for it is nigh.


	58. Chapter 58

As Hakuno was running back through the halls of the castle, she ran over her plan through her head. Though, she hoped she wouldn't have to use this plan and Berserker could take care of Gilgamesh for them.

She gets as close to Illya she could without getting involved with the fight or being seen. If Berserker looked like he is going to lose or if he does lose, she grabs Illya and teleport to Arturia. Hopefully, Archer, Shirou, Rin, and Sakura aren't too far when she does, in case Gilgamesh comes after them.

She could feel herself getting closer to where Berserker and Gilgamesh had ended up during the fight, and she couldn't help but feel a shiver go down her spine. Even after encountering Gilgamesh twice, the mana she sensed from him still freaked her out.

She wasn't sure what was with his mana that was so different than the other servants. Maybe it had to do with him somehow being here despite being from the last war as Arturia had mentioned. 

As she was passing by a room, a massive crash came from inside as she could sense the three sources of mana falling from the roof. She could only guess the fight got driven down from the courtyard. 

She entered the room only to see Berserker with a bunch of weapons been stabbed in him. This wouldn't be a concerning sight if it weren't for the fact Illya was in his arm, and some of the weapons in Berserker's arm seemed only to be there because he protected Illya. 

That didn't make sense to Hakuno. If Gilgamesh wanted Illya, why was he putting her at such a risk of dying? Why did he even want her in the first place?

She remembers that Gilgamesh mentioned herself and Arturia, whatever reasons he has for wanting Arturia she didn't know, but why did he want Illya? Gilgamesh said something about Illya being the vessel for the Grail.

Before she could think anymore, she heard Gilgamesh speak something that confirmed her fears and threw her stealth plan out the window. 

"You know, Berserker, if you stopped trying to protect the vessel of the Grail, you might actually stand a chance against me. Choosing to defend her only assures her death."

If that didn't confirm Gilgamesh's intent on not needing her alive, she didn't know what would. If she didn't do anything, Illya would likely get killed, and her whole plan would fall apart. 

Berserker put Illya down and got in front of her ready to protect her. Before Gilgamesh could start his attack, she cursed herself mentally as she ran out into the open and grabbed Illya's hand with one before placing her other hand on the ground as she focused her mana into forming a shield around them. 

She was at least thankful for one thing about having Morgan's magic circuits. While she may have no idea how to do any of this correctly, Morgan's circuits seem to get what she wants and do it themselves. Probably not the most effective way to do things, but it was what she had to work with, and she was thankful it worked. 

This, of course, caught everyone in the room by surprise as Illya just stared at her.

"Hakuno?! What are you doing back here? I told you to run!."

Neither one of them had the time to have this back and forth. 

"Tell Berserker to focus on fighting Gilgamesh. I'll keep you safe."

Illya just growled a bit as she turned to Berserker.

"You heard her Berserker. Rip him to pieces."

Those words and what Hakuno was doing seemed to get a laugh out of Gilgamesh.

"I didn't expect you to be so brave considering our initial encounter. Regardless, thanks to you, I might get some actual entertainment."

She heard Berserker roar as he charged at Gilgamesh and weapons started flying. While the majority of them missed, a few hit the shield around Hakuno as she used her mana to repair the damage. She wasn't sure how long she could hold this but, hopefully, it would be long enough for the fight to finish.

Illya, even though she should be focused on the fight, decided to turn back to her and ask again.

"Again, why did you come back? That was stupid of you to do."

"You're welcome."

"No. That isn't something to be proud of. You have no stakes in this war, no reason to put yourself at risk like this, yet you keep doing it. Why? Why would someone like you do everything you have?"

"Because it's the right thing to do."

"Huh?"

"Do I really have to explain why not wanting someone to die and going out to save them at your own risk is the right thing to do?"

Illya didn't give her a response. She didn't know if it was because Illya didn't know how to respond or if it was so stupid of an answer it shouldn't get a response to. 

Regardless, that was her reason. There were other factors, sure, but she wasn't going to run while someone dies, and she could do something to stop it. She wasn't sure why it sounded weird to Illya, but she could ask her that when they were out.

"Look, if Berserker can't win, then we have to leave. I can get us to Saber and, hopefully, Archer and the others are there by the time we get there."

She was not looking forward to teleporting to Arturia with Illya. She just hoped Arturia would understand why she broke her promise once she explained the whole situation.

Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario played out as from the golden color portals came chains that surrounded and tied Berserker up. She was fully aware of how strong Berserker was from his fight with Arturia but, despite his strength, he couldn't break them.

Gilgamesh just had a smile on his face as a large spear came from a portal above him.

"I did say you might be able to defeat me. I never said you could."

With that said, the spear launched into Berserker. She knew now as the time for them to leave. Berserker had done more than one could expect when dealing with someone like Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh's mana was low. There would be no way for him to deal with Arturia and Archer. 

Just as she was preparing a teleport for her and Illya, Illya pulled away before running towards Berserker.

"Illya no!"

She couldn't keep the shield she had around her up as she tried to stop her. The moment she got a glimpse of Gilgamesh, he had a portal open, but from where he was looking made her remember what had happened in the dream she had the night Caster took her.

The dream where Gilgamesh went for her instead of Shirou. Her instincts took over as she drew Caliburn, which was still disguised as a kendo stick, but still got knocked into a wall and got disoriented.

She could only manage to look up only to see Gilgamesh close to Illya, who was kneeling on the ground next to Berserker. What she saw next, she would likely be haunted by it for the rest of her life.

In one simple move, Gilgamesh ripped Illya's beating heart out of her chest. Illya just stared as her body went limp and blood went everywhere like a fountain. The only thing that could match the horror she was feeling from seeing such a thing was her anger.

Once again, she stood and did nothing to save people. Just like how Rider died, she couldn't do anything to stop it. She may not have been able to stop Gilgamesh from killing Illya, but she could make sure he doesn't leave this place alive.

She got to her feet as Caliburn discarded it's disguised and began to glow. This quickly caught Gilgamesh's attention as he looked over towards her.

"Oh? And what do we have here? Where did you obtain such a thing in this day and age?"

She didn't think she would have the time to finish pouring all her remaining mana into Caliburn. Gilgamesh wouldn't be stupid enough to take an attack from this head-on.

Thankfully, something would keep his attention long enough. Even though Illya was gone, Berserker managed to break through the chains which clearly caught Gilgamesh off. His focus shifted to finishing off Berserker as she poured all her mana into the sword.

As she did, a voice began to chant words in her head. 

The once broken sword of the King  
Taken away by the King's own blood  
That sword is now returned,  
The sword that will light the road to Camelot's future.

She didn't know who's voice it was, but it wasn't Morgan's voice, so she wasn't immediately worried about it. She raised the sword as Gilgamesh finished dealing with Berserker and Berserker began to disappear as Rider did. 

He turned just as she finished raising the sword as two words were said in her head and she repeated them out loud.

"Caliburn"

"You little-!"

She didn't even let the man finish as she swung the sword forward. 

"Alexandra!"

She brought the sword down as a ray of light went forward, engulfing the entire room. She couldn't even see what was happening or if she got Gilgamesh. She had to close her eyes as the light was a bit much for her eyes.

It took a few moments for the bright golden light to dim out as she regains her sight only to fall to her knees in exhaustion. She wanted to blackout, but she forced herself to stay awake in case Gilgamesh didn't get finished off by that.

Still, Illya's dead body act as a simple reminder. She failed to do anything again. Despite having Caliburn and Morgan's magic circuits, she still couldn't save anyone. She didn't get long to be frustrated with herself as a voice from behind her sent a chill down her spine.

"I certainly did not expect that. Then again, you're the biggest surprise about this war. More important than a false Grail."

She didn't have time to do anything as she felt something hit the back of her head hard. It was all that was needed to put her out cold with everything else that has happened. Before she lost all sense of the world, a voice echoed in her head. Once she was not happy to hear.

"I must say that was impressive. The only bad part is you putting yourself in a position to get taken by Gilgamesh. Seriously, I'm gone for half a day, and Arturia can't keep you safe for that long? This is why I don't trust my sister: she can't do anything right to save her life."

She had the threat of Gilgamesh physically and the threat of Morgan mentally. All she could do is wonder what she did to deserve this as she lost all awareness of the world.


	59. Chapter 59

Gilgamesh had never expected this war to turn out the way it did. He thought this war would be good entertainment that lasted a while. He never thought three servants would die in a single day. 

Then there was the girl that laid unconscious at his feet — a girl with old magic. Though, it should be impossible that old magic would still exist in this day and age. Then there was a sword she shouldn't even have. 

While he was annoyed, the girl had the guts to attack him; Hakuno had done so out of defiance rather than stupidity. He was more than aware of the girl fact the girl could tell he was dangerous. She chooses to run rather than fight when they first met. 

He just laughed at the thought: this girl had more power and bite than most modern-day magnus. Sure, she lacked training, but that could quickly get resolved, and she would be the most powerful mage on the planet. 

He honestly wished he had found this girl a decade ago instead of wasting time preparing the Tohsaka girl to be the vessel. To think she had been in Fuyuki all this time and he never once encountered her. 

And yet, they were going to use her to be the vessel for the Grail. She would be more potent as a vessel than anyone else, but she was to waste away for such a stupid thing. 

He still wanted to go through with his plans but, after seeing the potential this girl could do, he wasn't sure about Kirei's desire to use her as the new vessel. It would be something he would discuss later with the priest.

He picked up the girl and figured he should leave. He had what he initially came for and got something extra for his trouble. Just as he was about to leave, a pair of blades came flying at him as he dodged. A voice he remembered with disdain could be heard. 

"Drop her now." 

His red eyes looked down at the Archer in red standing in the room. Another mongrel for him to deal with today. 

 

EMIYA honestly couldn't believe Arturia was foolish enough to leave Hakuno alone not to do something brave yet stupid. With all the time the two spent, Arturia should have picked up on Hakuno's traits and how similar she was to Shirou.

They were both stubborn when it came to wanting to help people. The difference was: Shirou did so due to his ideals and dream while Hakuno did it because she was kind. 

So, of course, she would choose to break her promise to Arturia to try and save Illya from Gilgamesh.

He never expected her to manage to use Caliburn the way she did, but he figured Alexandra must have predicted that Hakuno would need it. Though, since she did, what would happen to the seal on Morgan that Caliburn had created. If the sword did need to power down after a blast like that, would the seal still be active or would it disappear? 

It was something he could worry about after they got Hakuno back. As he got close, he could see Gilgamesh standing over Hakuno's body. As far as he could tell, she was unarmed. Gilgamesh likely only knocked her out to prevent her from fighting back. 

Gilgamesh was more worn than he was during the fight against Berserker in his world. Hakuno likely gave Berserker the chance to fight unhindered with needing to protect Illya at the same time as attacking Gilgamesh. Add that to probably taking an attack near the level of Excalibur, Gilgamesh had to be low on mana.

If there were ever a time he took Gilgamesh out, now would be it. As he picked Hakuno up, EMIYA summoned his two swords and tossed them at Gilgamesh. He managed to dodge them quickly, but the attack was more so getting his attention than anything else. 

Gilgamesh stared at him with his fierce red eyes.

"The mongrel faker appears in front of me once more. Though you claim to know me, you dare to stand before me after what you did."

"I won't repeat myself. You can take the Grail, but Hakuno stays with us. Saber is on her way back along with our Masters."

"What do you hope to obtain by telling me this, faker?"

"That you understand that you don't have the advantage and you do not have the power to fight both me and Saber in your condition."

"I could kill you in a moment."

Golden portals appeared around Gilgamesh. He knew, however, that Gilgamesh was bluffing. 

"I'm calling your bluff. That fight with Berserker along with the attack from Hakuno did more to you than you are letting on. You wouldn't last against both Saber and me and, I can assure you, Saber will not stop till she has Hakuno back."

Gilgamesh wouldn't be able to escape with both Hakuno and the Grail, and he knew that. The smart move would be to give Hakuno up and run with the Grail, but he knew that might not happen. He was trying to negotiate with Gilgamesh, after all.

Though, he did have to resist smiling as Gilgamesh got visibly annoyed. Gilgamesh wasn't annoyed at the fact that he was trying to tell him what to do but was correct in telling him what he should do. Gilgamesh could leave with one thing and come back for the other, or he could die without obtaining either one. 

Luckily for all of them, Gilgamesh decided living was more important than keeping Hakuno, as he tossed her down to EMIYA.

"You are permitted to keeping her till I come back and take both her and Saber."

With that, Gilgamesh vanished. He didn't bother chasing him as there wasn't a need to do so. With Arturia, Lancer, and himself still alive, the Grail can't grant a wish. They still needed to get it back from him as soon as they can, but it was better than him taking both it and Hakuno.

And speaking of the ladder, Hakuno began to wake up as he put her down on the ground. He did find it a bit odd considering how Hakuno must have been dry on mana at this point as well. He went to ask how she was only for a voice that wasn't Hakuno to speak.

"I should thank you for keeping Gilgamesh from taking Hakuno, but that would be ignoring the fact that you were the cause of her death in your world."

He didn't even need to ask. He immediately knew who it was from the voice alone as he backed up and stood ready. He didn't want to fight, but something told him that might happen.

"Morgan..."

"Why the hostility against me? Can't I speak to my son-in-law? You did marry my daughter in your world."


	60. Chapter 60

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Without further delays, here is a new chapter

Morgan was not in a good mood after everything that had happened. Not only did she get resealed, albeit temporarily, but she also comes back into a bad situation. Having to watch Hakuno almost get taken by Gilgamesh only to be saved by the person she trusted the least out of everyone Hakuno had surrounded her.

Archer was the one person she couldn't trust Hakuno. She might not know the full story, and likely Hakuno won't get the story either, but she does know he got Hakuno killed. She would rather trust Arturia with Hakuno than Archer, and she knew Artruia's horrible track record with people.

Still, she did end up learning some things while sealed away in Hakuno's head. The first being that Alexandra managed to find the fragments of Caliburn and rebuild the sword. She at least knew for sure Alexandra was trying to undo what she did. The only question was why? 

Was it to spite her? Alexandra had done more than enough during the days of Camelot to undermine what she had been doing. She didn't know if her daughter was petty or if there was more to it then simple revenge. 

Then there was the fact that Caliburn had favored Hakuno over Arturia. Alexandra chooses to make the sword for Hakuno or couldn't get the sword to return to Arturia, so she went with the idea of the sword going to Hakuno. 

Regardless, Hakuno could very much use the sword to its full potential. She would be petty if she didn't acknowledge that fact. She even felt a bit proud that Hakuno had managed to do so. Of course, that pride in Hakuno was taken away by what Arturia wanted to do with the Grail. She needed to ensure Arturia was gone; otherwise, she would be sealed away and, likely, unable to help Hakuno in the future. 

Gilgamesh had the Grail, but two of the three remaining servants still needed to die. Archer, Lancer, and Arturia were the ones remaining before the Grail could form and grant a wish. It was clear she would have to force Hakuno to betray Arturia, Archer, and the others to get the Grail.

She could try and get Archer to betray the others. He had risked his life twice to save Hakuno from Gilgamesh. However, the incident with his Hakuno had her doubting the idea. She had no idea who Lancer was or what he would think about her, so it was a gamble with him. 

Arturia was a more straightforward case. Arturia wanted to take Hakuno from her, and that alone was out of the area for discussion. Arturia had her chance to be a parent, and she stabbed it through the gut with a divine lance. She was not making the same mistake twice.

She figured she would at least try to negotiate a deal with Archer first. He did care about Hakuno and likely would turn against the others if it meant protecting her if they ever became threats to her. 

"Whatever you want Morgan, you better say it quick. I doubt Arturia would be happy to hear from you."

"Like you owe Arturia anything. From what I've seen, Arturia didn't do much to keep your Hakuno from getting stabbed by Gilgamesh or save her from those thugs. If she cared enough to stay, your Hakuno might have survived."

"That is none of your business." 

"I have to disagree. I believe it is my business considering Hakuno's connection to me."

"The point, get to it."

"I'm merely pointing out how history once played out. Are you going to let history possibly play out the same a second time?"

Archer only smirked at her statement.

"I'm sure you'll realize this world is different than my world."

Archer's stance was clear. He wasn't going to turn on Arturia and the others for Hakuno's sake. Odd considering he had mostly stayed quiet yet now he seems confident in Hakuno being safe with Arturia. 

Regardless, she got what she needed. Luckily enough, she could feel Hakuno beginning to wake up, so now was a good time to hide back and think about what to do next. One way or another, she was leaving with Hakuno whether Arturia and the others liked it or not.

 

Hakuno wasn't sure why she awoke to her standing up looking at Archer. The last thing she remembered was her getting knocked out by Gilgamesh. 

The thought of him immediately woke her up completely as she looked around to make sure he was gone. Archer likely knew she was doing this and calmed responded.

"Relax, he's gone. You were a fool coming back here, you know?"

While she knew she was an idiot to come back and risk herself, she still did it to save someone.

"It's better than leaving someone to die. I would rather be hurt than sit around while someone else dies."

It wasn't that crazy. Hakuno didn't get why Illya had found the notion so weird. She especially didn't think Archer to take offense to it only for him to stare at her.

"That doesn't excuse you going alone to the home of an enemy Master."

Ok, she had no idea what was Archer's problem with what she did. She didn't come alone, she had Arturia, and he should know that. 

"I didn't come alone, in case you forgot. Also, Illya invited me to talk. Why is that a bad thing? What am I not trusted enough? Are you all still mad about the Rider incident because I put faith in the good of people?"

Before Archer could rebuttal, Arturia, Shirou, and Rin ran into the room as they all looked worried only to see them there just fine. Arturia seemed ready to ask about Gilgamesh only to see Illya's body on the ground. Rin and Shirou took notice soon after and they both looked shell shocked. 

Rin ran down the stairs and hugged her. She was surprised when she heard Rin trying to hold back tears as she spoke.

"Hakuno, you absolute idiot. What were you thinking? Putting yourself at risk like that."

She was a bit taken aback by Rin being like this as she had never see Rin this emotional. She expected her, Shirou, and Arturia to be furious with her going to try and save Illya but, for the most part, Shirou and Arturia just seemed relieved that she was alright.

Shirou went over to her and Rin and ended up joining in on the hug.

"Hakuno, we're both so sorry for the way we've been acting since this whole thing started."

She honestly didn't know what to say to the two. She was too confused and flustered to try and tell them both it was alright and she wasn't mad at the two of them. 

She could feel her heart beating in her chest. She didn't feel like she was in pain, but it had something to do with Rin and Shirou being so close to her. Arturia broke up the moment as she looked at Illya's dead body.

"We should probably leave. With Illya and Berserker dead, the war is just down to us, Lancer, and his Master. If Gilgamesh is involved with them, then we have to figure out a way to deal with them."

Arturia was right though she had never seen Lancer before. She felt Lancer the night Arturia got summoned, and the war began, but none of them had seen or heard of Lancer or his Master since that night. 

Plus, she, Rin, Shirou, and Sakura likely had a lot to talk about considering what they had done. Archer said he would deal with Illya's body and catch up as Arturia, herself, Rin, and Shirou began the long walk back home. It became apparent to her why she never came up this way before today, and that was how far away it was from her home. This trip would also likely be the only time she came this way, especially now that this way had nothing but bad memories associated with it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At long last, they get reunited properly. :D
> 
> It just took almost 30 chapters to do so XD. 
> 
> Hakuno got kidnapped in Chpt. 31. 1 Chapter short of them being separated for 30 chapters.


	61. Chapter 61

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the long delay, I've haven't been in the mood to write over the past few days and it also didn't help that Borderlands 3 came out and I got distracted with replaying Borderlands 2 to try and forget the meh story of 3. 
> 
> Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Hakuno was a bit worried about how Sakura would react when she, Shirou, Rin, and Arturia entered Shirou's house. Shirou and Rin had been more concerned than upset at her for going off on her own. Sakura would likely be a bit angry that she put herself in danger like that despite what happened with Rider. 

Archer had caught up with them while they were walking back. He didn't say much other than letting them know he had buried Illya as well as the two maids she had. She at least knew what happened to them, which didn't make her feel any better about running with Arturia.

Rin took notice of her looking upset and got her attention and smile.

"Hey, you did everything you could to try and stop Gilgamesh. Not many people would have known the risks of doing so yet do so regardless."

Rin only made her remember what Illya had said to her about being an oddity when it comes to people. She was starting to wonder if her mother had kept her away from magic to protect her or if there was more to it than keeping her safe. It would be something to ask Rin or Sakura after the war is over. 

They finally arrived back at Shirou's place. As Shirou opened the door and walked in, she could hear Taiga's voice.

"Shirou, there you are. I was beginning to worry you wouldn't get back to make dinner."

"Sorry, Rin and I went out to town and guessed who we ended up finding and dragging back with us."

Shirou grabbed her wrist as she pulled her into the room as Taiga and Sakura could see her.

"Oh, Hakuno. I was wondering where you were. I thought Shirou said something rude to you and that's why you haven't been here for the past few days."

Well, she wasn't entirely wrong on something was said that made her not want to come back, though it was probably best not to mention it or the fact she got kidnapped. She smiled.

"No, I've just been busy sorting some stuff my family had in our attic. I thought it was about time to go through it all since Saber was in town to help me figure out what to keep and what to get rid of."

Taiga didn't seem to question it as Shirou went ahead into the kitchen to start cooking dinner. She was going to follow him and help since there were a lot of people but, before she could, Rin grabbed her arm and pulled her to the table. 

She just gave Rin a look as Rin whispered to her.

"Hey, in case you forgot, you used a lot of mana back at the mansion by using Caliburn. Maybe you should rest. The last thing we need is you scaring Taiga and Sakura if you pass out from trying to help."

As much as she hated to admit it, Rin had a good point. While she did feel a little better, it still felt hard not to slump over and fall to sleep. If she did, it would raise questions with Taiga, and they didn't need to try and explain what happened. 

She went along with it as she sat down with Arturia sitting down next to her. She wasn't sure why, but it felt nice to be back with how things were finally. It made her wish the war never ends, but it was better if it did. 

People like Gilgamesh were dangerous if they were left to do as they please. He'd keep hunting her until he had her, possibly killing everyone around her to do so. Then there was the looming threat of Morgan. If the only way to keep her locked away and unable to hurt Arturia or anyone else again was to win the war, they had to do it.

Soon enough, Shirou finished making dinner, and everyone started eating. While everyone was enjoying talking while they ate, she remained silent as she slowly began to remember she and Arturia had been up all night as Arturia was teaching her how to read Latin.

Luckily, Arturia seemed to remember that fact as well. She stopped eating and patted her lap for her to lay down and rest. It might not have been the most formal thing to do, but she was barely keeping her eyes open as it was. Arturia would likely make up some story about her being unable to sleep last night and them being up early in the morning. 

She laid her head down and fell to sleep quickly. She was hoping that, despite everything that had happened, she would at least get a peaceful bit of rest. Sadly, that didn't happen as an all too familiar voice began to chime in.

'Hakuno.'

She tried to ignore it. There was no way she got out of the seal already. It hadn't been a day yet. It must be her tired mind messing her. It was what she hoped it was, but she kept hearing Morgan's voice echoing her name.

'Hakuno.'

She just kept ignoring it. All Morgan could do is try to sway her with words. If she ignored her, Morgan would be powerless to do anything. Then again, she attempted that, and it only ended up with her getting more frustrated. 

However, things went quiet. Hakuno was hoping that she was right, and Morgan's voice was just a bit of her imagination. The moment she lowered her guard, another voice came to mind as in a split moment, she was somewhere else.

"H...Hakuno...."

Her eyes were only met in horror as Arturia was in front of her, except she was on her knees with Caliburn thrust through her heart as she couldn't even mutter a word. She quickly let go of Calibur as Arturia's body went limp and fell to the ground.

She tried to tell herself that this wasn't real. She prayed it wasn't real and only prayed harder as she slowly lifted her head to see the rest of the area. She could feel her heart-stopping for a moment from the sight alone. All over the church floor, Shirou, Sakura, Rin, and Archer all laid dead as pools of their blood formed around their bodies.

She only got her eyes to look away as she raised her hands and saw them covered in blood. She knew this couldn't be real, but it felt real. Everything about it felt like this was real. The silence was only broken by Morgan's laughter echoing from everywhere at once. 

'I warned you. I told you this would happen.'

'This isn't real. I would never-'

'The lack of sleep must be getting to your head. In case you have forgotten, you were the one to lash out against your friends and your 'mother'. Had it not been for Sakura, you would have hurt Rin, maybe even killed Rin.'

She covered her eyes, not being able to handle the sight in front of her. She wanted to wake up from this nightmare. She would never hurt Rin or anyone else. 

She felt arms around her as Morgan whispered in her ear.

'Deny it all you want, but both know what you did against Gilgamesh with Caliburn. What if the next time Arturia and the others lie to you, the person who dies is one you cherish? You were more than ready to fight them for lying to you about me.'

'You influenced me to do that.'

She could hear Morgan sigh a bit in disappointment to her retort.

'You're mother honestly did want you left in the dark about your family. Let me ask you something, Hakuno: what did you think to happen to the curse I inherited from mine and Arturia's father?'

Before she could answer, she began hearing a second but faint voice.

"Hakuno! Wake up!"

She could hear Morgan's calm demeanor change to be more annoyed. Though, that last for a moment before she returned to her peaceful self.

'Go on then, go awake up to your 'mother.' You know where to find me if you want to know more about the curse.'

The world around her faded as she slowly felt herself waking up. She had already made her mind that, no matter what, she wouldn't tell them anything she had seen. It was hypocritical considering what had happened, but she didn't want to say what had happened. She knew that, despite it being an illusion and a scenario Morgan had created, it was very much something that could occur.

That was the part that terrified her the most. It wasn't seeing the dead bodies of everyone she cared about in front of her or her killing Arturia; it was the fact that she could lose control and do that.


	62. Chapter 62

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry for the delay. Hope you enjoy the chapter.

Arturia could tell Hakuno was exhausted after everything that had happened. They had stayed up all night, gone to talk to Illya and dealt with Gilgamesh. The fact Hakuno was not talking was proof enough she needed to sleep.

She was beginning to feel bad for teaching her Latian throughout the night. Though after everything Hakuno went through the day before, she deserved to have some freedom. Still, it was nothing too serious she just needed some sleep.

While everyone was busy talking, she got Hakuno's attention as she patted her lap for her to rest. Hakuno didn't hesitate as Hakuno laid her head in her lap, falling to sleep within a few minutes.

"Long day?"

She looked up to see Taiga looking at her. She couldn't tell Taiga the whole situation with Morgan and telling her about teaching Hakuno Latin would probably be weird. It was best to play it safe. 

"Yeah. Hakuno had trouble sleeping last night after a nightmare."

Taiga just smiled at her as she looked her over with curiosity.

"So, I guess you helped take care of Hakuno when she was younger after your parents both passed away."

She would have to make the story up, but Taiga would likely not question it since Hakuno hadn't been around for too long. She nodded to Taiga's response. 

"Yeah. We had our caretakers, but I was usually always around. It was only recently that Hakuno was living by herself since I've been overseas with schooling."

They ended up talking for a bit about random topics until Taiga headed home. Shirou was in the kitchen cleaning dishes as Sakura and Rin sat at the table, watching Hakuno sleep. Rin had overheard about what she had said to Taiga about Hakuno having bad dreams.

"So, did Hakuno not sleep last night because of bad dreams or what?"

"No. Not too long after we had gotten back from dealing with Caster, she woke up, and I ended up explaining everything to her. We may have gotten a bit distracted by me teaching her how to read Latin."

Rin and Sakura just started laughing, though not maliciously. Even she found it a bit funny that Hakuno had gotten wrapped up in reading Latin that she forgot to sleep. After Shirou got done cleaning, she figured it would be best to discuss what they did now. They caught Sakura up on what had happened with Illya before she went about asking for ideas.

"With Berserker gone, that only leaves Lancer. Gilgamesh is an issue, but he isn't someone we have to worry about until after we dealt with Morgan."

Shirou looked a bit concerned. 

"Are we sure it's a good idea to leave him around? You heard what happened in EMIYA's world when it came to him and Hakuno. Gilgamesh is willing to kill Hakuno if he can't get her."

She could understand Shirou's concerns. While Gilgamesh was a threat, the two times, he had encountered Hakuno he didn't try to chase her down. Maybe Hakuno, or something about her, was making him less aggressive. 

Still, her main concern was Morgan. They had no idea how long the seal created by Caliburn would last, and Morgan would likely be out for Hakuno once she got released. They would only need to take down Lancer to be able to deal with Morgan for good. 

Before she could say anything else, her attention shifted to Hakuno as she started muttering stuff in her sleep. Initially, she thought Hakuno was talking in her sleep. Everyone thought the same as well until Hakuno began to shaking and sounded scared as she muttered.

She started to shake Hakuno, trying to wake her up.

"Hakuno, wake up. It's just a bad dream."

Hakuno wasn't even phased as the shaking and terrified muttering to even worst. She needed to wake Hakuno up from whatever terrible nightmare she was having. 

"Hakuno! Wake up!"

Hakuno jolted up as she was very pale. The moment she tried to pull Hakuno in to comfort her, however, she immediately got up and backed away from the table as she was staring at not only her but everyone at the table.

They were all equally concern about Hakuno, but Rin got up and tried to approach Hakuno. Hakuno seemed to be ready to back up more, though it was clear she was beginning to calm down.

Hakuno let Rin pull her in for a hug as Hakuno was just silent. Shirou and Sakura went over and tried to comfort her as well. She wanted to join them, but she couldn't help but smile. Hakuno, been alone for most of her life, was surrounded by people who loved her or cared about her.

Sadly, this moment was ruin as EMIYA appeared next to her and whispered.

"We need to talk in private."

Arturia looked at him before looking back at the others. Hakuno's small smile was more than enough for her to trust Hakuno in their hands as she followed EMIYA outside. She was curious about what EMIYA wanted to talk about, considering he had told her everything significant about his past.

"What is it, EMIYA?"

EMIYA did not even hesitate with what he said next.

"Morgan is freed."

It took her a moment to process that. It hadn't even been a full day since Morgan had been sealed using Caliburn. There should be no way she is already out so quickly, especially since Alexandra would have made the seal to try and hold Morgan as long as possible. Regardless of her processing the thought, EMIYA continued.

"She wasn't in control for long. She tried to get me to turn and help her. My best guess is she wants to try and get the Grail to ensure she isn't sealed away."

"Great, now we have another person who isn't in this war trying to take the Grail. As if Gilgamesh wasn't bad enough. Hakuno doesn't know does she?"

"No. I even thought about not telling you about it and just keeping an eye on Morgan in secret, but it's for the best that you at least know. There is also the issue of Morgan knowing who I am."

"How? I never told Hakuno. I was going to let you explain your identity to her if you choose to."

"Hakuno likely saw bits and pieces of herself from my world, thanks to the jolt I gave her and her encounter with Gilgamesh. Morgan must have managed to figure out the rest of the memories."

She just sighed. Morgan had more ammo to use against them when it came to trying to turn Hakuno against them. They needed to deal with Lancer and end the war quickly before Morgan decided to do something. As she was about to ask EMIYA about information relating to Lancer, they were interrupted by the door opening behind them. As they turn, they both see Hakuno standing there. 

EMIYA gave her a look before he went into spirit form.

"I'll leave you two to talk."

She felt EMIYA leaving as she and Hakuno stood there for a moment looking at each other. She was going to try and say something, but Hakuno came over and hugged her.

"Sorry if I freaked you out earlier when I backed away when you tried to reach for me. I was still reeling from the bad dream."

She knew there was no point in asking, but she still asked anyway. She asked it as she wrapped her arms around Hakuno.

"Do you want to talk about it?"

Hakuno shook her head. It was something she could understand from Hakuno in that she didn't want to discuss bad dreams soon after they happened. Maybe sometime, once the war was over, she could learn what exactly these bad dreams Hakuno was having were. 

Hakuno pulled out the hug as she looked at Arturia.

"Hey, I know you may be against this but mind if I sleep by myself tonight?"

Her immediate thought was to tell Hakuno no, especially after Hakuno had a bad dream. With Morgan free, leaving her alone for any moment would only end with her taking advantage. However, there lies the issue.

Hakuno didn't know Morgan was on the loose. If she told Hakuno no, Hakuno might want to see a reason for why. The last thing they needed was Hakuno fearing about Morgan when they are so close to having her sealed for good. 

It was only for a night. One night alone wouldn't hurt considering how bad Hakuno's luck has been the past few days. She deliberated for a moment, but, in the end, she gave into Hakuno's request.

"Alright but, if you have another bad dream, I'm not leaving your side till this war is over. Understood?"

Hakuno just smiled and nodded. 

"Thank you, Arturia. With that said, I think I'm going to bed early considering I've barely got any rest from my nap."

She just nodded. Before Hakuno went back inside, she kissed Hakuno on the forehead.

"Goodnight, Hakuno."

Hakuno smiled as she went inside and into the room she had been staying in at Shirou's place. She was left to think about everything she had learned as Arturia tried to think about what she would do first with Hakuno once this war was over. 

 

Hakuno hated what she was about to do. Rin, Shirou, and Sakura might have all helped her calm down, but she couldn't forget what she saw. Their bodies on the ground, Arturia having Caliburn ran through her heart; it was too much for her to ignore.

Morgan had brought up her curse when they were talking. Hakuno wasn't sure what it had to do with her but, if Morgan brought it up, there must have been a connection. Which brought her back to reality as she stood alone in her room. 

She had locked the door, so nobody barged in. The only person she had to worry about would be EMIYA, but she figured he didn't want to deal with her considering his attitude with her earlier. She sighed, knowing what she was about to do would almost be like making a deal with the devil, but it was for everyone's sake.

She kept quiet, so no one could hear her as she closed her eyes and began talking.

"Alright, what does your curse have to do with me?"

She opened her eyes as Morgan was standing in front of her, smiling, probably at the fact of what she just did.

"Oh, do I have a story for you."


	63. Chapter 63

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, it seems that the goal I had for finishing this story by the end of September isn't going to happen. A bit of a shame but I didn't predict I would busy with other things this month. Still, we are almost to the end. 
> 
> With that said, enjoy this chapter.

Morgan was glad Hakuno was smart enough to realize what she was hinting at when she brought up her curse. Though, she had faith in Hakuno. She was more intelligent than Mordred when it comes to things not being plainly stated.

Her hearing Hakuno come to her and ask about the curse had filled her with pride. There was still hope for Hakuno yet. Hope that Arturia's and her legends wouldn't blind her. Still, she needed to earn Hakuno's trust if she was going to pull off what she had planned. What better way than explaining to her that she was a danger to the people she cared for.

"I'm sure you are more than aware of my curse."

"Yeah, the one you gained from your father, right?" 

"Ahh, it's so nice not to have to explain every bit of detail. Mordred, for all her strengths, was never the brightest, but I can see why."

"I'm not fishing for compliments or being compared to your actual kids. Your curse: what does it have to do with me?"

Hakuno didn't want to talk to her for any longer than she had to. Still, it was an improvement of her being afraid of interacting with her at all. No sense in hold back on the answers she was seeking.

"Well, have you ever wonder why, despite being my children, Agravain, Gawain, Gareth, Gaheris, and Mordred never showed many feats of magic? Or how about Arturia? You would think she would have the ability to be a mage if she was my sister, right?"

Hakuno sat there and thought for a moment about what she was saying. Sure, Morgan could be more clear as to what she wanted to say, where would be the fun in that? She wanted Hakuno to piece it together. 

After a few minutes of brainstorming, Hakuno turned to her with her answer to what she was saying.

"It has to do with your curse. Something about the first children inheriting it since Arturia didn't get it after she was born and only Alexandra had it."

Oh if Hakuno had a different view on her, she would hug Hakuno. She would have never thought that Alexandra's descendant would be the one to have such an understanding of her. All the more reason she wanted to take Hakuno for herself, but one step at a time.

"Yes. The curse is where I get most of my magical energy. The curse creates a fragment of itself that the first child born from the current holder of the curse gets. The fragment, while being a source of magic like the curse itself, also acts as a beacon of sorts. Whenever the current holder of the curse dies, the curse uses the fragment to moves into the new holder and reforms itself with the fragment."

"So, I have the curse then? If I would have the fragment and my mother had the rest of the curse, wouldn't I have it now?"

"Not quite. See, Alexandra never obtained the whole curse. The reasoning being I never died."

"What?"

"After Arturia's death, I had nothing else to do. With all my children, except Alexandra, dead, Arturia killed, and Camelot fell, everything I had set out to do was complete. So, I went to Avalon."

"So....you never died. Which means-"

"The curse never left me. The fragment that Alexandra had inherited acts as the curse intended, jumping from generation to generation, waiting for the rest of itself to manifest within its current host and become one once more."

"Then, how did you get summoned?"

"Summoned might not be the correct terminology to use. My conscious is what got summoned into your head. My physical body is still in Avalon."

"So then what exactly do I have to fear then? If I have just the fragment, I should go crazy and obsessed with destroying Shirou, Rin, or anyone else like you did right?"

"Oh, but that is where you are wrong, my sweet little Hakuno. The fragment became something different after a while. I'm sure you have seen enough to understand your family had created the Arthurian Legends the world goes by as to what happened during that time right?"

"Yes. Everything with Alexandra combined with my family's title being the Keepers of the Arthurian Truth is enough for me to think we created it. Why?"

"Well, before your ancestor who wrote the legends wrote them, there was an 'incident.' Another mage family had attacked and, while no one died, the Kishnami family at the time was very hurt. All but one almost died. The fragment activated and sent that one into a hunt mode of sorts. She went after the mage family and wiped them off the face of history."

"I imagine this drew a lot of attention from other mage families. Maybe even got them afraid."

"I won't go into full details but, after that incident, the Kishinami's made allies with a powerful family within the Mage Association. The supposed mindset went on to be called the Kishinami Fury. You went into an incomplete version of it at the church. That cold, machine-like desire to kill and wipe Rin, Shirou, Sakura, Archer, and Arturia from history? That's what the Kishinami Fury is." 

Hakuno sat in silence, not sure how to process or think about what she was hearing. She didn't blame Hakuno. Hakuno had not known about this part of her family history. She figured she would continue while Hakuno was still processing the information.

"While the Kishinami Fury has weakened since then, becoming nothing more than a sudden mood shift or anger issue, with my magic circuits implanted into you the fragment has regained strength. Your mother understood that and realized that should the Fury activate, and no one was around to stop it, a lot of people would get hurt or even died. That was why she had kept you at home and isolated."

It was one of the many reasons she had done so. Hakuno's mother thought that, by having her magic circuits, Hakuno would be safer. She only made Hakuno at worse risks. Though, she had a gut feeling that Alexandra had involvement with that decision. 

Alexandra had left Caliburn as if she knew Arturia would get in contact with Hakuno, discover everything about her and the Kishinami family, and would search for something to help save Hakuno. There were too many coincidences for Alexandra not to be involved. The question was, how. That question could wait as Hakuno looked very much conflicted.

"So, what do I do then? If you're sealed away, sure I don't have to worry about you lying to me, but then I have to worry about the Kishinami fury taking effect one day and killing everyone I care for. I don't think I could convince any of them about this as it would be clear that we talked, which would make them want to seal you away even more. Even if I did convince them to use the grail to get rid of the curse, I would still have to deal with you for the rest of my life."

She had to hold herself back from laughing and smiling. It was going exactly the way she was hoping it would. Hakuno wasn't sure which one was wort: her or the curse fragment. The only person Hakuno could as for advice was her, and she knew what to say.

"There is only one way to resolve this. Lancer is the last servant of the war. If we could find him, we find his Master, and we could see if they aren't willing to let you use the wish yourself. Though, doing so would mean having to kill Arturia."

Hakuno's face became filled with conflict. It final nail she was hoping to hammer in. Regardless of what Hakuno did, she would have to leave to protect everyone from herself. She figured Hakuno needed time alone to make her choice, but she left, leaving some final words for Hakuno.

"Regardless of what you decide, I will always be there for you, like I always have."

She disappeared, returning to whatever part of Hakuno's mind she resided in. Arturia had made so many claims about Hakuno being hers. She couldn't wait to see the look on her sister's face. Arturia had not been wrong about many things relating to her; however, one thing she had been one related to Hakuno. Hakuno was her daughter, not Arturia, and she was going to ensure it stayed that way, even if it meant breaking her daughter's heart into pieces.


	64. Chapter 64

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not expect this chapter to be so easy to write but here it is. Hope you enjoy.

Hakuno sat on her bed, question why this was happening to her. She had finally found friends, someone she could view as a mother figure. She was finally no longer alone. 

Now, she understood why her mother had kept her isolated. She was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off. It all made sense now: why she was kept in the dark about magic, about her family history, about Morgan. She was a disaster waiting to happen. 

The fear of what could happen was beginning to sink in. What had occurred at the church and what Morgan had shown her were no longer things she would never do. They were things she could very much do and not be able to stop herself from doing.

She tried to keep calm and thought about what she could do. 

Option one: she continued with the plan Alexandra had told Arturia. They used the Grail to seal up Morgan, they take care of Gilgamesh, and they all live in peace. It could work except the new revelation about her being a time bomb ruined all of it. She loses control once and kills Rin, Shirou, or someone else, that entire wish goes to waste.

There was also the idea about using the Grail to remove Morgan and send her back to Avalon, but now that she knew about the curse fragment, Morgan could likely find her way back to Hakuno. She doubted Morgan would be as kind as she has been if that happened. So that option was off the table as well.

Option two: She followed Morgan's advice and tried to find Lancer and his Master and try to use them to get the Grail and use it to get rid of the curse. The idea already had significant issues. One was that she would have to kill Arturia to win. She would have to fight against Rin and Shirou. She would be betraying Sakura and insulting Rider's sacrifice. If Rin, Shirou, and Sakura did survive, they never would forgive her. 

She put her head in her lap as she wasn't sure what to do. Option one was promising but lead the possibility of her ruining everyone down the line. Option two had it, so Rin, Shirou, and Sakura could survive, even if they hater her, but she would be forced to kill Arturia, betraying everything her family had stood for and the work Alexandra had done. 

After a while of her trying to think of something, a third option came to her mind. It was idiotic, would result in nothing being fix and everyone hating her. With that said, it would mean everyone would be safe and happy, and only she would suffer.

Option three: She ran away and hid from everyone. She let the war play out as it should have, Arturia, Archer, or Lancer wins and gets their wish, Arturia goes back to the Grail, and everyone forgets she exists. They move on with their lives, and she suffers in isolation to ensure everyone stays safe.

It was a stupid idea. If Archer could hear her thinking, he would probably scrutinize her for being so stupid. Still, it was the best way to ensure everyone stayed safe, and she didn't even up killing anyone else. Her mother had set her up the way she did for a reason and, now that she knew, she would sooner return to that life instead of hurting or even killing people because Morgan took control or she went off and couldn't stop herself. 

The only question would be where she would go. She couldn't just go back to her house, it was too close and the first place they would look for her. She remembered Rin bringing up that the church is supposed to act as a safe place for Masters who lost their servants. Even if a Master lost their servant, they could get another of the remaining servants, which was why killing the Master was as important as killing the servant.

Of course, the church no longer functioned like that thanks to Caster. The one Rin and Shirou met the night Arturia had appeared was nowhere to be found. Still, it was a good start, and she should be able to sense anyone approaching the place. She could figure out things once she got there.

Luckily, her school bag had been lying in a corner in the room. Arturia, or someone else, must have grabbed it since she didn't think to when she ran out after Rider's death. She could at least leave a note telling them not to follow her and hope they would listen, but Hakuno knew they likely wouldn't. They've done too much to let her run away.

As she wrote her farewell note, she glanced down at Caliburn. She could take it with her. No matter what it thought, or what Arturia and Alexandra thought, she was not worthy of using it. It belonged to Arturia. A

As she finished her note, she set it down next to Caliburn on her bed as she stood up and checked the time. It was almost midnight. Everyone should be asleep by now. The only one she would have to worry about was Archer, and that's if he could catch up to her when she teleports. 

She doubted he would wake everyone else up. He seemed to be the quiet and reserved person, keeping things to himself rather than tell everyone about it. He had gone by Shirou's last name, but as to what that means she didn't know and doubted anyone else aside from Archer himself knew. If it was just him, he could maybe convince him to see it her way. Plus, he must know about the curse fragment, right? He likely never told Rin because he didn't want to get Rin to distrust her.

She looked around, taking one last moment to try and talk herself out of doing this, but the words didn't come to her mind. She had to do this. There was no other way this would end. 

She figured she would teleport to the park. No one would be around this late and then walk from there to the church. She had never tried a return trip so she figured it should be a bit easier to teleport to somewhere she had teleported from than teleporting to somewhere new. She closed her eyes as magic began to swirl around her. She did her best to try and keep it quiet; the last thing she needed was to walk everyone up.

After a few moments, she felt moved, and the inside warm air quickly changed to the cold outside air. She opened her eyes and found herself in part again. The lights were all off, and the place was empty, with no soul in sight. She didn't feel as exhausted as she had before, so at least she was getting used to teleporting to place. Still, it was something she should not try and do too much.

She didn't know how long she had until Archer found out and came after her. She didn't stand there long with that in mind as she began to walk to the church. She ended up finding the path Rin had used the night they had gone there and followed it, keeping an eye out for any magical energy coming towards her.

For the most part, it was going well. Hakuno didn't sense anything or encounter anyone as she was walking. It was only until about three-fourths of the way there she sensed Archer nearby. He didn't appear or get closer, likely just keeping an eye on her. Unfortunately, that was something she didn't want. She ended up stopping as she looked towards the direction Archer was in.

"Alright, come on out. In case you forgot, I can sense mana."

Archer didn't hesitate to comply as he landed down behind her and just looked at her, more frustrated than angry.

"Here, I thought things might be looking up only to end with you doing something foolish. Do you have any idea how idiotic you are coming out here alone?"

She was not going to enjoy having this conversation, but it was one she had to have. She wasn't going to put everyone at risk. Not even Archer could change her mind about what she was doing.


	65. Chapter 65

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a short chapter but I felt it's appropriate considering the next chapter is Lancer vs Archer Round 2. Hope everyone is excited for it.

EMIYA was still unsure about how to play this out. With Morgan knowing about his past, it was only a matter of time, or the right opportunity, till Morgan used it against them to break whatever trust Hakuno had in him. Honestly, things have already diverged more than they should. 

Rider's death was more or less still the same in his world. Caster's Master killed her. A bit earlier than in his world, but it went along with what happened. Then came Hakuno getting kidnapped by Caster. The best he could guess is Hakuno taking the place of Saber, but Caster still intended to get Saber, her methods just changed. 

But with Illya gone, Lancer should have come after Rin already. Then there was the fact he and Shirou didn't have to fight over their stupid ideologies nor did he ever break his contract with Rin to do so. 

Then there was Arturia and her being more wanting to be there for Hakuno. Morgan was more active than she ever was in his world. Even Hakuno was more different than she was in his world. 

His Hakuno never went out of her way to protect Arturia. Maybe that was due to Hakuno not knowing Arturia was related to her at the time. Still, this Hakuno risked getting captured by Gilgamesh to try and save Illya. 

Well, at least she couldn't do anything else reckless. Gilgamesh would need time to heal, and the only other threat besides Morgan was Lancer. The issue was, he had no idea where Kirei could be hiding now that he abandoned the church as his base.

He quickly regretted saying Hakuno couldn't do anything else reckless. The moment that thought went through his head, he felt a bit of mana coming from Hakuno's room. He wasn't sure what exactly Hakuno was up to, but he figured it was something reckless. 

He went into spirit form and entered Hakuno's room, only to find the room empty. The only thing in the room as a note on the bed along with Caliburn. He just groaned at what Hakuno could be possibly thinking going off on her own.

Of course, Hakuno wouldn't be this reckless. Something had to make her think this was a good idea. Of course, that meant Hakuno was talking to Morgan. 

The smart thing would be to wake Rin and the others up and let them know Hakuno was gone. However, it would only cause the situation to be stressful for them. Hakuno couldn't have gone far. All he had to do is find her, get her to stop thinking running off on her own is a good idea, and bring her back before anyone wakes up. 

He stayed in his spirit form as he left the house. His first thoughts were to check Hakuno's home, but as he headed in that direction, he could sense Hakuno leaving the park and heading in a direction. It took him a moment to figure out she was heading towards the church. It became even more apparent when he caught up to Hakuno and realized she was taking the same route Rin had taken them on the night Saber got summoned. 

He tried to keep a distance. As much as he wanted to confront Hakuno and get her back as soon as he can, he was curious about why she was heading to the church. Sadly, Hakuno's ability to sense servants made his distance pointless as she stopped in her tracks and called him out.

"Alright, come on out. In case you forgot, I can sense mana."

He knew there would be no point hiding. He could ask Hakuno why she was heading to the church while he was telling her how foolish she was being. He appeared in front of her as he just looked at her. 

"Here, I thought things might be looking up only to end with you doing something foolish. Do you have any idea how idiotic you are coming out here alone?"

"No, I'm smart. It would be idiotic for me to stay near all of you. Especially now that I know, I'm a ticking time bomb."

What was she talking about? A time bomb? Where did that come from? Must have been something related to what Morgan said. 

"Look, whatever Morgan told you is a lie. You're not dangerous."

"Coming from the guy who supposedly knows a lot about my family. You don't think my family's curse is dangerous to Rin, Shirou, Sakura, or Arturia?"

"Curse? Hakuno, what are you talking about? What curse?"

"Oh, so I finally know something you don't. What a nice surprise."

What was Hakuno even talking about? What curse? This whole situation was making less by the moment. He needed Hakuno to be angry and explain what curse she is talking about.

"Hakuno, calm down. I've never heard anything about a family curse."

"So I take it you have no idea what the Kishnami Fury is either."

"The Kishinami...Hakuno what exactly did Morgan tell you?"

"She told me that no matter what we used the Grail on, I'm still going to be as dangerous to them. I'm damned regardless of the choice we make. Nevertheless, you seemed to know so much about everything that's going on, and it's been bugging me to no end."

"Hakuno..."

He was not going to let her think this through. If anyone could piece together who he was, it was her, even if she was a fool right now. He grabbed her shoulders and looked at her.

"Who I am doesn't matter. All I am here to do is make sure you stay safe, alright."

Hakuno was oddly silent despite being so talkative a moment ago. It took him a moment to notice, but Hakuno's eye had gone dull. Great, just what he needed; Morgan trying to interfere and get Hakuno to distrust him.

He could try the jolt trick again, but that would leave the possibility to Hakuno seeing more of his version of her. He couldn't risk it. He would have to wait it out till Hakuno snapped out of it. 

At least, that was what he intended to do until a voice in the air caught his attention.

"Gezz, I was hoping for more of a challenge considering I've been forced to do nothing for most of this war yet the two people I needed to find are all by themselves and together."

He recognized the voice as Lancer as he grabbed Hakuno and dodged Lancer's spear that was driven into the ground where he had been standing before. He quickly put Hakuno on the ground and summoned his two swords.

"Now is not the time for this Lancer."

"Oh, I don't care if it's a good time or not. I've been bored with this entire war. I had to hold back when I fought both you and Saber the first night, but now I can go all out. Considering this your final fight and the last time you'll see that girl. Not sure what exactly is so special about her, but my Master wants her brought back alive and unharmed."

He couldn't even retort as Lancer charged at him. Well, it seems things were still the same, mostly. The only difference is Lancer is trying to take Hakuno instead of Rin. Everyone in this war seemed to want Hakuno one way or another, and it was starting to get old.


	66. Chapter 66

Lancer was starting to get bored of this entire war. The war only started last week, and yet it was almost done. The issue was, he had barely gotten to fight whatsoever. 

He got to fight Saber and Archer, but that was it. Since then, Rider, Caster, Assassin, and now Berserker had been defeated, and here he was watching from the sidelines. He was not a spectator. He would rather be out there fighting than standing around doing nothing.

Not to mention the fact that his current Master wasn't even the one who summoned him. He would rather not think about that whole situation. Never the less, it's been one big war of bad luck for him. He couldn't go out and fight, Servants were dying left and right, and Gilgamesh was getting involved, even though he wasn't also in the war, by killing Berserker. 

When Gilgamesh came back with his clothes a bit tattered and burnt, he could help but laugh a make a smart remark.

"Bit off more than you can chew, ey Gilgamesh?"

Gilgamesh just gave him an unpleased look.

"Quiet mongrel. You're lucky I'm in a good mood; otherwise, I'd take off a limb."

That's a surprise. Gilgamesh being in a good mood despite looking like that is something he never thought he'd see, considering the guy can get angry over the littlest of things. Whatever happened must be a particular case. 

Still, for him to be this off even had Kirei confused. 

"You said you could handle Berserker with ease."

"And I did. You disappoint me by thinking something like Berserker could cause this. Let's just say that there were some unexpected guests at the Einzbern's castle when I went to retrieve the Grail."

"Unexpected guests?"

"Hakuno and Saber were there."

"So, you got distracted by Berserker and Saber tried to finish you off? That's a bit abnormal for her."

Gilgamesh just started laughing, as if what Kirei had said was absurd. He wasn't precisely sure due to his one encounter with Saber being the night she was summoned, but they clearly knew more than he did. Still, Gilgamesh just smiled.

"No, this wasn't Saber's doing. Let's just say we both may have underestimated what Hakuno could do."

He wasn't sure who 'Hakuno' was. He guessed another thing he's been kept in the dark about between the two. He was used to merely being their ticket to whatever wish they intended to do with the Grail and nothing more. He had no use for the Grail, but he still disliked whatever those two could do with something like the Grail.

He was going to tune out the entire conversation, but what Gilgamesh mentioned next caught his complete attention.

"It wasn't some spell either. I do not know how, but Hakuno has come into possession of a sword that shouldn't exist anymore."

This topic was something he couldn't just ignore as he just looked over at Gilgamesh.

"You do realize what you just said makes no sense. How can this Hakuno girl have a sword that shouldn't exist?"

Gilgamesh just turned back to him with a glare before continuing.

"I mean it's a sword that should not exist. The sword itself is Caliburn. I at least hope you're smart enough to understand what happens. Regardless, Hakuno not only has it, but the sword itself has also been modified."

"How so?"

"It's to the point that the power output if in the hands of someone like Saber would rival that of Excalibur. Even still, someone like Hakuno with magic circuits capable of true magic carrying that sword is very dangerous."

Ok, now he was interested in this girl. Having access to true magic and having a sword like Caliburn was very much something an average person or even a high ranking mage should have. If it weren't for the fact she was only human, he would want to fight Hakuno.

He hadn't been paying attention to what Kirei and Gilgamesh were saying. The two were debating about what to do about Hakuno. With how Gilgamesh was reacting, they were going to use Hakuno for the vessel of the Grail. 

Then, Kirei turned his attention to Lancer. 

"Looks like you're finally going to be able to do something, after all, Lancer."

"And that would be?"

"We need you to retrieve Hakuno. They will be expecting Gilgamesh, and, with that Archer around, I doubt I could try and offer Hakuno somewhere safe so they could focus on ending the war."

"So, just grab the girl and come back without them following me. Simple enough."

Gilgamesh added a bit of a bonus that made him all the more willing to do their dirty work.

"If you can, take out the Archer mongrel while you are out on your hunt. I have had enough with his strange ability to know more than he should."

That was something he can do. He didn't even say a word as he went into spirit form. He just had to wait until the two were alone. He didn't know how he would lure out either Archer or Hakuno, if necessary, but it was something he could figure out. 

Not even a few hours later around midnight, he ended up seeing Hakuno and Archer both together and without anyone else around. It was a bit easier than he hoped, but it was better than doing nothing. He wasn't sure what the two were arguing about, but the moment Archer grabbed Hakuno's shoulder, the girl went a bit stunned. It took Archer a moment to realize what had happened, which was the perfect time for him to strike. 

He wanted Archer not to die immediately, so he made his presence clear.

"Gezz, I was hoping for more of a challenge considering I've been forced to do nothing for most of this war yet the two people I needed to find are all by themselves and together."

He jumped from the tree he was standing on and plunged he lance down at where Archer was standing, missing him and landing on the ground with the spear in the concrete. He pulled out the spear and gave Archer a look with Archer giving a similar look back, already having his swords out for a fight.

"Now is not the time for this Lancer."

He just grinned at the comment. He was getting this rematch, and it was happening now, whether Archer liked it or not. He was finishing what he had started at the school the night this war truly began.

"Oh, I don't care if it's a good time or not. I've been bored with this entire war. I had to hold back when I fought both you and Saber the first night, but now I can go all out. Consider this your final fight and the last time you'll see that girl. Not sure what exactly is so special about her, but my Master wants her brought back alive and unharmed."

While that last part wasn't entirely right, he still wasn't completely sure what Hakuno was capable of. He would rather deal with Archer fast and take her back to Kirei and Gilgamesh before she woke up. He spun his lance before charging straight at Archer.

Archer was wondering if this was karma finally coming back to bite him for what happened to his Hakuno. Maybe it was karma for something else, but he couldn't help but think, with how bad his luck has been, it's about Hakuno. Why else would things keep getting worse and worse?

Lancer was someone he would have a hard time dealing with. In his world, the Archer had betrayed them and sided with Caster, temporarily, and Lancer nearly killed him when they went to try and rescue Saber. Now he was dealing with a battle craving Lancer who is itching to fight.

Then there is Hakuno suddenly going into a trance. He knew Morgan intended to do something, but he wasn't sure what. Not like he could try and snap Hakuno out of it now.

He had two options. One was to try and get Rin to wake up and inform her of the situation. Option two was to find a way to beat Lancer enough to force a retreat and get Hakuno back to the house before she woke up.

While the first option was the smartest move to make, he also realized what trust Hakuno had in him would be gone. It shouldn't bother him that much, but, it did. It was bad enough he had let her die in his world but to make her not trust him in this world was worse than dying. 

It wasn't like him to do so, but, he was going to do something idiotic and try to deal with Lancer himself. He can only imagine the rant he'll get from Rin, but rather deal with that than deal with Hakuno hating him.  
That was, of course, if he survived this fight.

Lancer was much more of a fight this time around. It was clear Kirei wanted Hakuno that he was willing to risk Lancer in an all-out battle just to have her. Gilgamesh must have informed him of what had happened with Berserker. The only reason he could keep up with Lancer was due to knowing how he fights. That and the fact Lancer wasn't keen on ending this quick. He wanted to enjoy this as much as he could. 

Lancer was by no means a servant who thought of nothing but battle. He was more than aware he was not that type of person; however, being kept around doing nothing got under his skin. It's gotten to the point where Lancer wanted to have that mindset just to enjoy what battles remained. He could use this to his advantage. 

He jumped over Lancer and landed behind him before he tossed his two swords past Lancer. He projected both swords as he charged straight at Lancer who was confused by the whole ordeal.

"What's your plan with tossing swords away like that? Don't tell me this is all you got!"

He didn't respond. He needed to keep Lancer's attention on him. If he could pull this off, Lancer will be left vulnerable for a split second. He could finish Lancer off and get back with Hakuno. All they would have to worry about afterward is getting the Grail from Gilgamesh, something he and Arturia could do. 

After a few moments, the swords he tossed swirled back towards Lancer. Lancer, sensing this, dodged, giving him an opening.

"Trace: Overedge."

It wasn't something he did often but now was as good of a time as any to do so. Altering his weapons, he charged at Lancer. Unfortunately, Lancer realized his plan as he quickly stepped away from him. Lancer just smirked.

"Nice try, but it'll take a lot more than that to deal with me. I think it's about time to bust out the big guns."

While that was concerning, Archer's attention quickly shifted to Hakuno, who began to sit up from her trance. He didn't intend to run, but Hakuno could quickly get back to the others and tell them what was going on. That was the best move as he looked at her.

"Hakuno, you need to get out of here and warn the others."

Hakuno was staring back at him, but the only thing he saw in her eyes was confusion. He didn't understand what was wrong, but she needed to stop and get out of here.

"Did you not hear me, Hakuno? You need to run and warn the-"

"S-Shirou....?"

He felt his skin go cold as that name came out of her mouth. He didn't even need a moment to understand why Hakuno was looking confused. She wasn't confused about the situation or why Lancer was here. She was confused about him. Lancer could have finished him off while he was distracted, but he never felt a stab from behind him or any movement what so ever. 

The entire world felt like it stood still as Hakuno just looked at him and asked, tears filling her eyes as the look of confusion changed to disbelief. 

"T-that didn't happen. Morgan just showed me another illusion, right?"

He couldn't say anything. The one person he didn't want to find out what had happened just found out the truth. Hakuno found out what had happened to herself from his world.


	67. Chapter 67

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I intended this to be a quick chapter but, as I wrote more, I honestly felt like this would be a good time to show the story EMIYA told to Arturia and give it a bit more detail. With that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

Protect Hakuno? Morgan wants to almost vomit at what he said to Hakuno. The man couldn't even keep his Hakuno safe in his world. The fact he tried and act like he could protect anything just ticked her off.

She had been preventing Hakuno from seeing what had happened in EMIYA's world. She was well aware of Hakuno's ability to see glimpses of herself from other worlds. It was an unusual ability that was useless unless Hakuno came in contact or was near a person from another world. Unfortunately, EMIYA fell in the said category. 

When Hakuno had the initial dream after EMIYA jolted her magic circuits, she had to make sure Hakuno didn't see that gruesome scene. EMIYA had underestimated how sensitive Hakuno's magic circuits were, though, now that she knew who he was, it didn't surprise her the man lacked in terms of mage knowledge. From what she has seen, Shirou is more of a fighter than a mage. 

She wasn't about to let Hakuno let her guard down around EMIYA. He had failed before what's to stop him from failing again. Sadly, the only way to get Hakuno to distrust him would be to show her EMIYA's past. The added bonus was that, depending on her reaction, this could end up ensuring Hakuno wouldn't go back to Shirou and the others. 

Now that she had Hakuno's undivided attention, it was time to reveal the truth. Hakuno was still taking a moment to figure out what had happened, but the moment she announced herself, Hakuno got a grasp on what was happening.

"'Protect you' he couldn't protect the one he cared about the most. Why would he be able to protect you?"

"What are you talking about? Do you know who he is?"

"Yes, but, like always, it seems everyone chose to leave you in the dark about it. You would think Arturia and the others would have learned the first time around."

Hakuno looked a bit annoyed, but she wasn't as upset as she was when she found out they had kept Morgan's identity from her.

"I'm sure they have their reasons for doing so. Maybe it's just not important for me to know."

"Oh, but that's where you're wrong. EMIYA very much important when it comes to you."

"He has connections to my family in the past. So what?"

"Ahh, see that might have been a lie. EMIYA doesn't have connections to your family. He wasn't some mercenary that worked with one of your ancestors. His connections with the Kishinami's start and end with you."

"Wait...you don't mean..."

"Oh, but don't take my word for it. Why not see for yourself."

The scene around them began to change back to a view Hakuno would remember. Back at the temple as Shirou and herself fought against Gilgamesh.

"You remember this moment, right? The dream you had the night Caster kidnapped you?"

"Why are you showing me this?"

"Because this is where EMIYA's failures begin."

Hakuno looked around only to look back at Morgan.

"EMIYA isn't here, though."

"Hakuno, I know you are smart enough to put two and two together. I'm sure you already have started seeing the connections."

"He's.....Shirou?"

"Indeed. Why else would EMIYA be so interested in ensuring Shirou didn't become like him."

"But how did he become a servant? Isn't there some special requirement for becoming one?"

"Oh, there is, but that is not the only way to become a servant. But we can save that for later. This wasn't the first time he allowed you to get hurt."

The area began to change once more as she continued on with filling Hakuno in.

"After the war, you, Shirou, and Rin went to Clocktower. Soon after that, Shirou had planned on leaving and heading off and fulfilling his dream of a 'Hero of Justice.' Rin and Sakura more so gave up on changing his mind, but you had a different idea. You ended up going with him, seeing as you had no plans of your own. Always wanting to help others rather than be selfish."

"What about Arturia? Wouldn't she have come with us?"

Ahh, right. Hakuno was going off of the idea that this world was more or less the same as this world. Better to burst that bubble ahead of time.

"No. Arturia in EMIYA's world didn't much invest her time with you. She was too focused on her wish for the Grail. I don't even think she was aware I was in you in EMIYA's world. Point being: she returned to the Grail after the war. Never knowing what her Niece did for her or even finding her old sword had been reforged."

Hakuno looked a bit sad hearing that. She had gotten the wrong impression from Arturia. Arturia may be acting kind and caring to Hakuno, but how long would it be before Arturia tossed Hakuno to the side. Arturia had treated Guinevere as a means, and, once she was finished, she tried to have her executed. Hakuno would suffer a similar fate. That, however, was for another time. She needed to keep her focus on EMIYA.

"You and Shirou went off traveling the world together and helping people. It seems nice up until he almost lost you for a second time."

The world around them completed its transition as they stood in some town in the Middle East. Hakuno was looking around, taking in the sights she had never seen before. She knew full well Hakuno has never been outside of Fuyuki, meaning all Hakuno's knowledge of the outside world is limited to what she has seen on TV or read in books. Such things could only do so much compare to seeing places in person, or, through the memories of another.

They were both interrupted by a voice near them.

"Well, we're here. It took a bit longer than I thought, but at least we didn't get lost. Still, you didn't have to come."

Hakuno looked over to where the voice was coming from. Morgan had already seen this memory, but Hakuno was experiencing it for the first time. So, she could understand Hakuno's surprise when she looked at Shirou. He looked around his early twenties now, wearing an outfit to help with the usual weather in the place they were in. 

Another voice responded to what Shirou said.

"Someone has to keep an eye on you. Besides, it beats staying at home doing nothing."

Hakuno turned only to see herself, or rather, an older version of herself. Dressed similarly to Shirou, her hair had grown out over the years since they had last seen her. She also had a short sword at her side. Shirou just looked back and smiled.

"Even if it's visiting a place like this?"

"Well, that's why we're here, isn't it? To make it a bit better."

Hakuno just turned back and looked at Morgan.

"I'm still confused as to how this involves EMIYA failing to protect me. They seem happy."

"Oh, you'll learn very soon. How about we follow your other self and Shirou and see how this all plays out?"

Hakuno gave her a look before looking at where her other self and Shirou was going. After a few moments of deliberating, Hakuno followed as Morgan kept up behind. While it would be easier to show Hakuno all the incidents, that would be pointless. She wanted Hakuno to see that, despite how much Shirou loves or claims to love her, he's weak and will only lead to Hakuno's death.


	68. Chapter 68

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew, second-longest chapter I have ever done, only being beaten by chapter in a different story. It's also the longest one for this story, I believe, and done just as we reach 100 kudos. Funny how the world works sometimes. 
> 
> Regardless, enjoy the chapter.

Hakuno wasn't sure how to feel about anything she was seeing or hearing. It all could be one massive lie Morgan has made, but there were too many things that made sense. Archer being Shirou, was one of them.

It was something she did think was odd about Archer. His interest in Shirou was not something she could not make sense of. Why did he care about Shirou's dream and what he wanted to do? Archer being Shirou, who lived through it all, would make sense. 

It also answered how Archer knew so much about her and her family. From what she had found out, her family had only been in Fuyuki since her grandmother moved down to Japan. The rest of the time they have lived in Europe. While she wasn't sure about the details of the move, it was doubtful any of her family had encountered the Emiya family, especially before the Church wiped them out due to their experiments in vampirism. Meaning the only possible connection would have lied with Shirou and herself.

The only question she still had was what happened that caused Shirou to end up turning into Archer. It was the one thing she was still trying to figure out as she followed Archer and her alternate self through the streets. She wasn't paying much attention to what was being said, but she could help but feel odd seeing her other self and Shirou together.

Eventually, they came to some sort of medical building.

"Well, I'll see you for lunch. Let me know where to meet you."

"You stay safe."

"Hey, nothing bad has happened on these trips before. Relax a little, Shirou."

That ended up causing Shirou to let out a laugh before the two kissed each other. Hakuno didn't know why, but she felt her face getting heated up from seeing this. Shirou then headed off in a direction while her other self walked in. She was just left there still confused as to how any of this proved Morgan's point about Archer's inability to protect her. 

Morgan, likely predicting this thought, smiled.

"You'll see soon enough. Let's follow your other self, shall we?"

She really didn't have much of a choice but to do as Morgan says. It was the quickest way to get out of this and wake back up. She followed her other self into the building.

It was a bit surprising to see herself working with the sick and injured. Seeing what happened with Rider, she couldn't think of seeing herself being around people like that. Perhaps, the Hakuno from Archer's world didn't have that issue.

Still, she couldn't help but get the weird sense that something was wrong. Everything seemed to be going as usual, or at least as normal as she was aware a hospital acted on TV. Yet, she couldn't help but have this sinking feeling as she followed Archer's world version of her into a room only for her to dead-stop in the doorframe. She looked over her own shoulder to see what got her to stop, only to watch her other self scream something out before an explosion gone off from the room she was standing in the doorframe of.

She wasn't even sure what had happened before Morgan filled her in.

"It was an unlucky moment, really. A terrorist group wanted to bomb this place and executed their plan on the same day you and Shirou came here to help. They weren't after hurting you or Shirou, though. It was merely bad luck that you got caught in it."

"Did I die?"

"No, but perhaps it would have been better if you did than if you survived."

"English, Morgan."

"Patience, my child. You survived, but you were in and out of a coma for almost a month. You can imagine how this affected Shirou as well as Rin and Sakura."

Of course, she could, and she felt terrible. Shirou likely blamed himself for giving in and bringing her along, and Rin and Sakura would have been very upset at him. Even if it wasn't his fault and he had no idea what would have happened, he would have gotten blamed for Hakuno getting hurt and would gladly take it.

"What happened afterward?"

"Shirou knew he couldn't risk taking you on any more of his trips. Of course, trying to tell that to you would not be a fight he could win. So, he came up with a way so you could still help him without coming along with him."

"How so?"

"He figured if he married you and got a place, you would end up being satisfied with being there for him to have a place to return to. Rin and Sakura were heavily against this, but you agreed to it in the end. It would be a happy ending if it weren't for his incompetence."

"What happened? Did he end up dying?"

"Oh no, he was fine. He was well equipped to handle whatever human gangs or organizations could through at him. So, one group, in particular, decided to try and hit him where it would hurt and ended up finding out about you."

"No..."

"You remember that dream, right? An older version of yourself living a lovely house off any main road. You who was getting ready for someone to come home."

The scene around them changed back to how she had remembered it and how Morgan had described it. The difference was she understood the context of what was going on and had a bad idea of what was about to happen next.

Soon enough, a knock came from the front door as she could do nothing but watch her older self go to open it. She wanted to try and stop this. She didn't want to watch what happened next but, as much as she tried, she couldn't wake up.

She watched as her other self opened the door only to get hit with something and get knocked against the wall. She got on her feet and tried to run but, before her other self could even try and defend herself or get a weapon, several shots went off as she watched her other-self fall to the floor, and blood begins to pool around her. The group that attacked her got back in the vehicle they had arrived at the house and drove off.

Morgan put a hand on her shoulder. As the vision around them closed, and they returned to the blackness of her conscious.

"Shirou arrived soon after that happened only for you to die in his arms. Poor Sakura came soon after Sirou only to find you two like that. Both herself and Rin never forgave or talked to him after you died. He lost everyone the moment he lost you. In an attempt to try and redeem himself, he sold his life after death to the Counter Force. He is like this because of you. Despite how much you may care for them, people will always lead to you getting hurt."

She couldn't even try to retort or agree with what Morgan was saying. She found herself unable to speak at all from the shock of everything. She was the reason Archer existed. 

What if the same thing ended up happening again or, worst, it occurred to Rin or Sakura? She couldn't deal with the guilt. She just couldn't handle that thought of that possibility. 

Morgan simply wrapped her arms around Hakuno.

"You don't even have to take my word for it. I'm sure, if you brought it up with EMIYA, his reaction would be proof enough that it all happened."

With those parting words, she felt herself finally returning to reality. As she did, she looked only to see Archer fighting a guy in blue with a red lance. It took her a moment to realize the mana felt the same as the one who had attacked Shirou the night Arturia was summoned.

Archer took noticed of her waking up before looking at her.

"Hakuno, you need to get out of here and warn the others."

Even staring at him now, she could see the resemblance to Shirou. She couldn't bring herself to respond, which only made him repeat himself.

"Did you not hear me, Hakuno? You need to run and warn the-"

Before Archer could finish, she felt a word slip through her mouth. She really wished she didn't and tried to play everything Morgan had shown her off as a lie.

"S-Shirou...?"

His attention from both her and Lancer changed to be just her as she mutters those words. His face said it all. It wasn't a lie, at least who he was wasn't. She felt like she needed to ask if it was a lie. She hoped it was all just a lie Morgan had created.

"T-that didn't happen. Morgan just showed me another illusion, right?"

She expected him to correct her in such a way or comment that she was an idiot for believing anything Morgan showed or said. Those words never came. He just stared at her with the expression that she had found out something she was never supposed to find out. She felt herself getting angry as she just looked at him.

"Why...why did you do that to yourself, Shirou? I was dead, but it wasn't your fault."

"The people who went after did so because of me."

"And you think I would have wanted you to sell your life after death. This is why I ran away. I don't want anyone else dying or getting hurt because of me. Rin, Shirou, Sakura, Arturia, I don't think I could handle them getting hurt because of me."

Archer was going to say something, but he got cut off by a voice that caused any heat she might have had running in her veins to go ice cold.

"Then perhaps you need someone who couldn't be touched by such trivial things.

She could only stare past as she saw the figure she feared more than Morgan. Gilgamesh, standing right next to who she could only guess was Lancer, was staring at her and Archer. Behind him, a bunch of golden portals opened up as weapons became prime to be sent flying. She immediately knew what was going to happen as her mind flashed back to what she had seen happen. 

Of course, what had happened in Archer's world didn't happen. She stared as the weapons that were sent flying didn't fly towards her; they flew towards Archer as a dust cloud was created from the impact. Before she could get the chance to see if Archer was dead or not, she felt something hard hit the back of her neck as the world around her went black. 

 

Gilgamesh couldn't help but smile at the whole situation. They had sent Lancer out to try and bring back Hakuno and deal with Archer, only for both of them to be so close to the Church. 

At first, he and Kirei thought it was nothing but, as the commotion kept going on, they decided to investigate. Only to find Lancer watching Archer and Hakuno argue. He wasn't sure about what, but it was something Hakuno could enlighten him on once all was said and done.

He decided to deal with Archer himself, instead of letting him and Lancer finish their fight. It felt good to let loose his weapons against the mongrel who had taken him by surprise one too many times. The only thing that remained of where Archer stood was his weapons and a bit of blood. There was no way the mongrel could have survived. 

Regardless, it was over now. Archer was dead, and they finally had their Grail vessel. Kirei would have to prepare the ritual, but things were finally looking his way. 

At least, they would be if the other mongrel in the area didn't look ready to strike him down.

"What in the hell are you two even doing here. I thought you sent me out because you two didn't want to bother doing any more work."

"Oh? I thought you would have realized your role in all this. You were sent out to hunt down Hakuno and Archer, and you did."

"You really couldn't leave him for me to kill, could you."

"Considering everything he did and the humiliation I have had to deal with because of him, no. He was mine to deal with. Besides, you would have taken all night with how things were going."

"I have simply wanted to fight, but you two have consistently put me on a leash. But hey, since you feel like getting involved with business that doesn't concern you, how about I show you what we did to people like that in my time?"

"As amusing as that would be to see you try, I do not have the time to deal with a disobedient mongrel."

He looked over at Kirei; they no longer need Lancer. Saber was someone he could deal with. With Lancer dead, the Grail would be ready to manifest, and he will be able to do what is necessary.

Kirei understood what he was thinking as he raised his arm, revealing it covered with Command Seals as he gave Lancer a command.

"Lancer, by my command seals, kill yourself."

Lancer looked furious at both of them as the seals forced him to do what he did next. He took his lanced and pierced his own heart. He just stared at both of them as he coughed up blood and an insult.

"I'm rooting for Saber to kick your golden self off your high throne."

He didn't give the petty insult a retort as he manifested a few portals and finished off Lancer. Lancer had been more trouble than he was worth, but it did provide them with the opportunity they needed. Still, he looked back at Kirei, a bit crossed.

"I thought I made it clear she was not to be harmed."

"With all due respect, she looked unstable as it was. The last thing either one of us needed was for her to panic and ran off again."

"Fine, your excuse is accepted; however, do not let it happen again."

Kirei simply nodded. He was bored with the priest, but the man still had his uses. It was those uses he had not disposed of the priest already. With nothing else to say, he turned back and headed back to the Church.

"Come, we have a ritual to prepare for."


	69. Chapter 69

Arturia couldn't get to sleep. No matter how hard she tried, her mind would keep her up, thinking, and worrying about Hakuno.

She knew Hakuno had assured her that she was fine, and it was just a bad dream, but Archer's warning was still something she was worried about. Morgan was already out, and she could have had a hand in the nightmare Hakuno had during dinner.

Her instincts were telling her to go lay down next to Hakuno and sleep with her. So long as she was around, Morgan seemed unable to do anything. Hakuno, however, would likely get upset at her if she did so.

However, Hakuno didn't say she couldn't come in and check on her. She knew Hakuno probably wanted to be left alone, but she was worried sick about her. With Morgan on the loose and the war so close to ending, they couldn't afford Hakuno to get kidnapped once again or Morgan to have Hakuno distrust them.

After a few moments of deciding what to do, she went with her gut and went to Hakuno's room. She slowly began to open the door but thought, if Hakuno were awake, it would be best to announce her present as well.

"Hakuno, are you awake?"

She thought the silence was simply Hakuno asleep. The moment she saw a glimpse into the room, she knew something had happened. The bed where Hakuno should have been sleeping in was empty with only Caliburn and a note one it.

She immediately went over to look at the note and read it. She was half expecting it to be a note from Lancer or Gilgamesh, but only to see it was from Hakuno herself.

_Arturia, Shirou, Rin, Sakura,_

_I found out something about my family from Morgan. Even if we were to seal her, I would still be a time bomb waiting to go off to all of you. So, I'm leaving. Please, don't try to follow or find me. Finish the war, use the Grail for whatever your wish is, and then move on like I didn't even exist. I'm not worthy of using Caliburn, so I leave it to Arturia to decide what to do with it._

_Thanks for everything you all have done for me._   
_Hakuno._

Arturia was left shocked by the note. What did Hakuno mean she would still be a danger to them, even if they got rid of Morgan? Morgan was the one to influence her to do what she did at the Church; she told Hakuno that when she woke up. So, what did Morgan say to get her to believe otherwise?

Those were things to think about and ask Hakuno herself when she found her. She picked Caliburn up as she went to Shirou's room. She hated to wake him and the others up, but they needed to find Hakuno before Morgan takes control once more, or she does something foolish.

Luckily just as she reached Shirou's room, Shirou opened the door, having gotten up in the middle of the night and looked a bit shocked to see her.

"Oh, Arturia. Is something wrong? I didn't expect you to need to talk to me about something."

"She's gone, Shirou."

It didn't take Shirou long to figure out who she was talking about. Once he saw Caliburn being held in one of her hands, he pieced the situation together.

"Did she get kidnapped?"

"No, she left on her own volition."

She gave Shirou the note Hakuno left and summarized the reason Hakuno gave for why she left.

"She said that Morgan told her something about her family. Something that made her think that even if we got rid of Morgan by sealing her, she would still be a threat to us. Shirou...I don't understand why she won't let us help her."

"Well, maybe it's not that she doesn't want us to help her, but because she doesn't know how to let others help. She did spend ten years by herself. Hakuno's probably gotten, so use to doing things on her own that trying to ask for help is hard for to do as she doesn't want to bother us with such things."

She couldn't argue with Shirou's logic. It just meant something they would have to work on if, no, once they got her back and convinced her to trust them. She was not even going to try and think about the possibility of them never finding and bringing Hakuno back.

Before they could decide if they should wake the others up or what they should do next, Rin, walking from her room, walked up and looked at her with a bit of worry on her face. She initially thought Rin overheard their entire conversation, but when she spoke, that became the least of their problems.

"Have you seen EMIYA?"

"EMIYA? No, why?"

"Because I got woken up by my contract with him getting weaker for a moment."

She raised her hand, showing her Command Seals, and, from what she could tell, they were fine.

"They seem fine, but I can't get ahold of EMIYA to figure out what happened."

As she was looking at Arturia, she finally took notice of her holding Caliburn.

"Hey, why do you have Caliburn? I thought you gave it to Hakuno. Did something happen between you two?"

She and Shirou looked at each other before looking back at Rin. She knew this would be hard to tell her, but it needed to be said. However, before she could speak a word, a large thud came from outside as it caught their attention.

She went to see if Lancer or Gilgamesh had arrived to try and take Hakuno. The last thing they needed was for either one to know that Hakuno was out in the city somewhere. To her surprise, instead of going out and seeing Lancer or Gilgamesh, she only saw EMIYA who was severely wounded. Rin and Shirou looked utterly shocked by the sight as Rin ran over to look at him.

"EMIYA?! What happened?"

"Worst possible scenario happened."

Rin looked a bit confused, and EMIYA sat up and looked at Arturia, taking notice of Caliburn.

"I take it that you already about Hakuno leaving."

Rin's shock from EMIYA's state quickly shifted to looking shocked at Arturia and Shirou.

"Wait hold on what!?" Hakuno is gone!? Why didn't you two lead off with that?"

She looked a bit apologetic but nodded at EMIYA. He sighed as he looked up.

"I felt her trying to do something. When I went to check, she teleported off to the park and then headed for the Church. I initially tailed her, but once she found out I was, I confronted her on what she was doing."

Then maybe EMIYA knew what exactly Morgan told her that got her to believe that nothing would change if they sealed Morgan. She needed to know what it was that Morgan told her.

"Did she happen to say why she was leaving? What exactly Morgan said that made her think she was a ticking time bomb?"

EMIYA was silent for a moment before looking back at her.

"Morgan told Hakuno that her family had a curse. She also brought out something about 'The Kishinami Fury'. The problem is, I have no idea about either one."

This shocked her a bit. How did EMIYA not know about either one of these things? If he didn't know, then the two things must have never come up when it came to Hakuno in his world. EMIYA continued with what happened.

"Morgan got it in her head that she posed a threat to all of you, regardless if Morgan was sealed or not. I tried to tell her that I wouldn't let something like that happen only for Morgan to pull Hakuno into a state similar to what she had her in when I had to jolt her magic circuits. Before I could do it again, Lancer showed up looking for a fight and saying he had to take Hakuno."

Rin immediately got up.

"Then we need to find Lancer and-"

"Rin, let me finish. There's more to it than that."

Rin looked a bit confused as she looked ready to go save Hakuno. Still, they should hear everything that EMIYA needed to say.

"So, I managed to hold him off. Unfortunately, since we were close to the Church, guess who showed up?"

Arturia wasn't sure what EMIYA was talking about but, judging by Shirou and Rin's expression, they did as Shirou tilted his head question it.

"Kirei? He finally came out of hiding?"

EMIYA smirked a bit from that comment Shirou made.

"I guess there is no point in hiding it now. Kirei was Lancer's Master and is working with Gilgamesh. He killed Lancer's original Master before the war and forced Lancer to serve him. He also had planned on making you, Rin, the Grail Vessel."

Rin just went silent as well as Shirou did. She also found it a bit hard to say anything. The person in charge of mediating the war was not only involved but was allied to Gilgamesh? EMIYA had no reason to lie as he continued.

"After Illya died, Lancer, at least in my world, kidnapped you as Kirei needed you for when Gilgamesh got back with the Grail vessel. Oh, also, Shinji was working for them as well.

"Wait, what!?"

Shirou and Rin both sounded shocked by such a statement. She wasn't entirely sure who Shinji was, aside from the person they had suspected was Rider's Master, but it must have been a surprise to hear that.

"Look, it doesn't matter, the point is, Gilgamesh tried to kill me, but I managed to fake it and escape but ended up like this in the process. Now Gilgamesh has Hakuno and is likely about to start the Grail ritual at the Church."

Arturia was a bit skeptical about that. They would be in a place they would expect them to be. It could not be that simple, right? Plus, what about Lancer or how there could only be one servant left before the Grail formed completely?

"Even if that is a place they would suspect? What about Lancer? We have to still deal with him, right?"

"No, Gilgamesh killed him, thinking I was gone, and the Grail was ready to be formed. Though even if I am still alive, I imagine Hakuno is more than strong enough to provide the necessary magic to complete the Grail forming. We need to move, the Grail will likely be ready to form by sunrise. If we don't stop him, he's going to make the Fuyuki fire 10 years ago look like a brush fire."

They all nodded as Rin used one of her 2 remaining Command Seals to heal up Archer the best she could. She had expected even more shock from the two but, perhaps, hearing the situation in such a dire spot would cause them to ignore the shock. EMIYA, however, had one last piece of info that scared her.

"Hakuno, however, did manage to wake back up, but...Morgan showed her everything."

she looked at him a bit confused.

"What do you mean?"

"Hakuno knows who I am."

If she were genuinely alive, her blood would have just turned to ice at hearing that. EMIYA did not want her to have listened to what had happened. Morgan found out somehow and used the memories against Hakuno.

"Hakuno knows about everything. About me being Shirou from a different world and what happened to her in that world. She looked very upset about what happened, and I'm worried she might have gotten the wrong idea from what happened."

"...We need to get ready and go."

Shirou and Rin nodded as they headed in to get dress. Once they were ready, they would head to the Church, save Hakuno, and end this war. Morgan was clearly playing every card she could to stop herself from being sealed but, so long as she breathed, Morgan was going to be sealed. She had tortured and manipulated Hakuno enough.

Hakuno was not her play thing. Hakuno was her daughter. Morgan may have stayed with her for the past decade, but she, Shirou, Rin, and Sakura have all been there for her since this war started. Morgan will not take the possibility of a family form her. Hakuno was going to live happily and live the way she wanted to.


	70. Chapter 70

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of a shorter chapter but this is more so to set things up for the finale. 
> 
> With that said, I hope you enjoy the chapter.

"How long will this take, Kirei?"

Gilgamesh looked at the priest who was working on the Grail ritual at the front of the Church. Hakuno laid in the center of the ritual. While patience was a virtue, his patience was running thin.

He had waited ten years for this moment. He has seen what modern humanity had done since his time had passed and seen it all as worthless. There were more people than there was purpose, leaving those without a purpose to be a hindrance to society. His wish would cleanse the world of worthless mongrels. 

Still, he was a bit curious as to why it was taking so long. All other servants, aside from Saber, had returned to the Grail. The Grail should be ready to manifest, yet it was taking longer than he had thought.

Kirei, foolishly thinking he wasn't aware something was up, tried to assure him that all was fine.

"It has only been ten years, Gilgamesh. The Grail must not be used to being activated within short periods."

"Lying is not something I take lightly, Kirei."

Kirei sighed as he spoke while focusing on the ritual.

"It seems one of the Servants we thought returned to the Grail hasn't."

"That shouldn't be possible. Rider died to Caster's Master, Assassin died to Saber, Caster died to Hakuno, and Berserker, Lancer, and Archer died by my hand. There should not be any servants remaining."

"Did you see Archer fade?"

Gilgamesh didn't answer. He didn't see Archer die but assumed that Archer was defeated. Now that he thought about it, the mongrel claimed he had beaten him once before. If anyone would know how to survive, even if it meant taking damage, it would be Archer. Kirei took notice of Gilgamesh's silence.

"Then we have an issue. While we're lucky Hakuno's mana is potent enough to fuel the mana of a servant, Archer surviving means he would likely know where we are."

"You see it as an issue. I, however, see it as a nice turn of events."

"How is Archer surviving and telling Saber about our plans a 'good turn of events'?"

"Because if Saber knows, then, she'll be coming here soon. Saves me the trouble of trying to find her before she fades back to the Throne. I get both my prizes and the Grail."

He got up and started walking towards the exit. While Kirei might see it as an issue, he didn't. Even with Archer, he was more than a match for both Saber and Archer. Plus, it gave him something to enjoy in the final hours of this Grail war. It wouldn't be fitting if the war ended the way he had believed it did. If all things went well, he would have everything he wanted as the sun rose.

Saber hadn't stop thinking about Hakuno since they had left Shirou's house. They had woken up Sakura and filled her in on the situation. While she wanted to come along, they managed to convince her to stay and be ready in case Hakuno, Shirou, or Rin got hurt. 

Once Shirou and Rin had gotten ready, the 4 of them headed out to the Church. EMIYA had said that would likely be the place they would do the ritual at. Still, she had several questions about EMIYA and what happened in his world, and she knew she wouldn't get answers to all of them. Right now, they needed to focus on taking Gilgamesh down, so she focused her questions on that.

"So, any ideas about dealing with Gilgamesh? You have more of an idea about his abilities than I do."

EMIYA looked at her and smirk.

"I have a plan. Let's just say I have one last trick up my sleeve I've been saving for Gilgamesh. However, I'll need you to use your final command seal on me once the fighting begins. It should be enough mana for me to maintain my Noble Phantasm long enough for me and Arturia to deal with Gilgamesh. It will also give you and Shirou time to go and deal with Kotomine."

While she was alright with this plan, Rin was a bit skeptical.

"What do we do once we deal with Kirei? If the ritual has already started, do we stop it?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. If it's already started, then don't try to do anything about it. Remember, we need to Grail to get Morgan sealed up. As to this curse and family fury, I have no idea what it is about. You three will have to get by, but I still believe Morgan is the more pressing. My Hakuno never showed any signs of a curse or whatever the Kishinami Fury was, so maybe things will go the same after the war."

"Let's hope that's the case. Also, I hope Hakuno will open up and fill us in on these things."

"She will. Once Morgan can't make suggestions, Hakuno will be able to hear you guys out."

Shirou got the group's attention as he noticed they were getting close. 

"We're nearing the Church. Are you sure you and Arturia can handle Gilgamesh?"

EMIYA looked at Shirou and nodded.

"You and Rin just make sure Hakuno is safe, alright."

She couldn't help but smile as the two seem to have reached an understanding. While Shirou hasn't made it clear if he intends to continue on his path or drop it to be with Hakuno, his intent on saving her was nice to see. This would be the final battle of the war. Regardless of what happened, she was going to save Hakuno. She promised Hakuno's late mother she protect Hakuno no matter what, and she intends to keep it.

Hakuno couldn't remember what had happened. She remembered talking to Archer, and then things got blurry. She thinks Gilgamesh appeared and EMIYA ran or something. 

She didn't understand how or why her memory was weird. She usually had a good memory when it came to what happened. While she tried to remember, she started hearing a voice.

"Hakuno. Wake up."

She found herself slowly waking up to Arturia, who had her hair down. One glance told her she was back at her house. She slowly sat up from the couch, expecting to see Shirou, Rin, and or Sakura as well but was a bit disappointed to only see Arturia.

"Arturia? What happened?"

"Oh, don't worry about it, Hakuno. Everything is alright now."

"What do you mean?"

"The war is over, and Morgan has been dealt with."

While she should have been relieved after hearing that, she wasn't. She found herself unable to relax what so ever, even when hearing Arturia tell her to do so. Something was off about all of this yet, she couldn't understand why nor remember what had happened. 

While she was still trying to figure the situation out, she found herself being pulled into Arturia's arms as she spoke.

"It's ok, everything is fine now. Morgan can't hurt you anymore."

She wasn't sure what was going on, but one thing was for sure: the person who was holding her wasn't Arturia. While her mind was falling for the act, something in her told her a trick. The question was whether or not if this was Morgan tricking her again or something else.


	71. Chapter 71

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And now the moment you all have waited for, EMIYA and Arturia vs Gilgamesh!
> 
> Also a bit of foreshadowing for Part 5 at the end of the chapter. Hope you enjoy.

The moment Archer saw Gilgamesh and his smug expression, he had to does everything to keep himself from running recklessly. He never could stand the man, not when he was alive and most certainly not now. Even if he wasn't in his right state of mind, he was still a person from a different era.

Gilgamesh's viewed current humanity as nothing, going as far as to kill millions to create a world he envisions. His pursuit of Arturia and Hakuno that almost got the ladder killed because he couldn't have her. He despised Gilgamesh and was sure Arturia felt the same. Regardless of that, she kept a level head. He needed to be ready to use his Noble Phantasm once Rin used her final command seals.

Once Gilgamesh saw them approaching, he just smirked.

"Ahh, Saber. I was afraid you wouldn't make it."

Gilgamesh's glance turns to him, who he looked uninterested.

"While seeing you again, Archer, is not something I welcome, I do have to thank you for being more vermin than mongrel and surviving. I had not thought about what would have happened if Saber had no idea what we were doing, and she couldn't find us before the Grail was activated. Now I will have both my prizes and the Grail."

Arturia was not happy about being called a prize, but she was more infuriated at what Gilgamesh had called Hakuno.

"Hakuno is not some trophy."

"Indeed, she isn't. It's through her that a new era for humanity will be created. Where everyone has purpose and reasoning to existing. It will never come close to what Uruk was, but perhaps it can become some semblance of a paradise. Though you do have an interest in Hakuno, Saber, so how about this; I will allow you to form a contract with her to prevent yourself from fading back to the Grail. All I ask in return is that you serve as my faithful wife."

He could see Arturia's hand shaking in anger from the offer. It was worst than Caster's proposal, and at least she wanted to help deal with Morgan. She would never go for something like that, not even for Hakuno. Gilgamesh quickly figured this as sighed a bit disappointed.

"Perhaps once your Master, Archer, and his Master are all dead, you will be more open to the offer."

Many golden portals opened up behind him. It was now or never. He turned to Rin as she held up her hand.

"Archer, by my final command seal, activate your Noble Phantasm!"

He felt his contract with Rin fade as a large amount of mana fed into him as he knelt down and began chanting. Gilgamesh, having realized not to underestimate him, went to go deal with him before he could complete his chant. Luckily, Arturia deflected all the sword using both Excalibur and Caliburn. Within a few seconds, he activated his Noble Phantasm as flames spread forwards as Gilgamesh and Arturia were brought along with him into his Reality Marble.

 

Arturia had always wonder what EMIYA's real Noble Phantasm was. He had so many different weapons that it was hard to pinpoint which one was his real Noble Phantasm. Learning his identity didn't help considering who he was. So, she was left to wonder what it was, up until now.

She was aware of what EMIYA's Noble Phantasm was the moment she opened her eyes and was in a completely different place. Similar to what Rider's Noble Phantasm, EMIYA also had a Reality Marble. This one was a bit different compared to the one Rider had displayed during the last war.

Instead of a vast open desert, EMIYA's Reality Marble was dust plains with swords dotted as far as the eye can see. Gears filled the sky as clouds blocked any view of the sun. While it did take her by surprise as to how bleak this world felt, she remembered who it belongs to and understood.

EMIYA quickly got her attention back on Gilgamesh.

"Don't forget why we are here, Saber. We have Gilgamesh to still worry about."

She looked back at Gilgamesh, who was looking around, curious himself.

"A Reality Marble, huh. What could you hope to gain by using something fake as this."

He went to try and attack them both. This time, however, several swords that were planted into the ground sprung up and flew at the golden portals stopping Gilgamesh's attack, making him look surprised.

"I told you when we first meet that the last time we fought, I took your arm. This was how I did it. Not only that, I wasn't even a Heroic Spirit when I beat you."

That comment made Gilgamesh furious, which seemed to be EMIYA's plan as he yelled out.

"How dare you imply that a human as weak as you could defeat me. I'll make sure your death is as painful as possible for spouting such lies."

More golden portals appeared behind Gilgamesh as EMIYA got ready.

"I'll deal with his ability to fight from afar, you go in and fight him head-on, Saber."

She didn't reply as she ran forth towards Gilgamesh. Initially, Gilgamesh's focus was on EMIYA as he fired swords past her only for them to be deflected by EMIYA. As she got closer, he focused her attention as the portals pointed towards her. She didn't have to worry about dodging as any sword that came close was deflected away by a sword sent by EMIYA. 

The moment she got close, Gilgamesh drew a sword from his gates and blocked her swing.

"Forcing me to fight, you have a lot of nerves, Saber."

"I don't care about how you feel Gilgamesh. My objective is clear. So long as you are around, Hakuno will never know peace."

"And you think she will know peace once this war is over? She is someone Mages would kill entire cities to get. Whatever cover she may have that kept her existence from the world a secret, is gone. She will be hunted."

"Then I will deal with whoever comes after her. I made a vow that I would keep her safe, and that includes you."

She knocked the sword out of his hand as she pulled Caliburn from its sheath and went straight for his heart. He could talk as much as he wants, but Hakuno would not be happy with someone like him. Any attempt Gilgamesh made to try and stop her with his gates were blocked by EMIYA as he was left open. 

All the swords that had been flying through the air ceased as Gilgamesh stood there, a sword through his heart. He coughed as he tried to get in one last insult.

"You may have won this time, Saber, but what happens when someone too powerful for you comes and takes Hakuno?"

"That will never happen. Hakuno will always be safe so long as I am around."

He didn't say anything as he slumped over. Arturia pulled Caliburn out of his chest as she wiped the blood from it and sheathed it. She wanted to say a few words to EMIYA, but she quickly realized the world was beginning to fade. 

EMIYA just stood there smiling.

"Good thing you took him out. Any longer, and I don't think you would have finished him before my Noble Phantasm ran out."

"EMIYA..."

"Save it, I made sure this was a one-way trip. Hakuno doesn't need someone like me to protect her when she has you. No, not just you. She has Shirou, Rin, and Sakura, and, unlike me, Shirou won't cause her to become a target by people looking to get him back for something. Though if he does somehow mess up and Hakuno gets hurt, mind doing me a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Nothing much, just a punch to remind him what happened to him is all."

She couldn't help but laugh at what he was asking, but she nodded. It was all she could do as the world around her faded, and she found herself back in front of the Church. She looked around to where EMIYA had been only for him to no longer be there. She realized he likely went back to the Counter Force. 

Sadly, she did not have long to mourn as she heard the commotion coming from the Church. Shirou and Rin must still be fighting Kotomine. She ran inside, ready to kill Kotomine and save Hakuno by any means necessary.

 

EMIYA found himself back in the place he always ended up at whenever he was done doing a task set by the Counter Force. He sat on a rock on a hill of swords. Still, he was satisfied with everything that had happened.

While he had no idea or any means of knowing if they succeeded in saving Hakuno or not, he had a gut feeling that they would. Shirou was smarter than he had been, Arturia cared deeply for Hakuno, Sakura and Rin were close to Hakuno as well. Hakuno would be saved, he was sure of that.

Still, he found himself wondering one thing.

"If only I had been as smart as him...maybe you would still be around."

He didn't get any reply. He didn't expect to get one. He was alone in this world, but it did give him some semblance of hope to think his Hakuno was here with him. 

He was expecting some peace after everything that had happened. He was all but ready to get some rest until he felt himself being summoned once again. He sighed, yet he couldn't help but smile.

"Never a moment of peace and quiet. Well, time to see who is desperate enough to be summoning me."

He vanished from the world as quickly as he had returned. Even in death, he did not stop. He had no idea what he was in for in the world he was summoned to. No Grail War could have prepared him for the task he was summoned for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What exactly happened to EMIYA? Find out...in Part 5!


	72. Chapter 72

Shirou wasn't precisely sure what EMIYA had done. One moment EMIYA was on the ground kneeling chanting something. Then, flames surrounded himself and went forward towards Gilgamesh and Arturia and blinded them. Now, as his vision came back, where EMIYA, Gilgamesh, and Arturia stood were empty, and they were nowhere to see.

This must have been what EMIYA had told them about taking care of Gilgamesh with Arturia while they went to deal with Kirei. Rin quickly regained her composure and looked at him.

"Come on, let's do our part by dealing with Kotomine while they take care of Gilgamesh."

"You really think EMIYA and Arturia have a chance against Gilgamesh."

"I don't think EMIYA would have told me to do what I did if he didn't expect it to work. Besides, he fought and won against Gilgamesh before, right? He has Arturia with him. The two of them can deal with Gilgamesh."

He couldn't argue against it. If EMIYA really did fight and win against Gilgamesh before, he shouldn't have trouble doing it again, and, with Arturia there, Gilgamesh is fighting a losing battle. The best the two can do is hope that things go well. Still, he couldn't help but feel a bit bad about Rin.

"Sorry that whatever you wanted with the Grail got pushed aside due to Hakuno."

"Hey, once she got involved, there was no way I could go onto win this, especially when she and Arturia began getting close to one another. Plus, umm..."

"Rin?"

"I...may have not had a wish for the Grail to grant."

"You didn't have a wish? Then why did you get involved? Because of your family lineage?"

"Kinda, but I really just was in it for the fight."

He wasn't sure what to say, but he knew it was something they could talk about it after they got Hakuno back. Though Hakuno would probably be a bit upset with Rin, that was something they could worry about afterward. With nothing else stopping them, they stepped into the Church as both of them could feel the entire inside was filled with mana.

They walked into the room they had been in a few nights ago when they came to save Hakuno from Caster and her master. As they entered, a familiar voice welcomed them in.

"Welcome. I wasn't expecting anyone to come in. I thought Gilgamesh would have dealt with all of you."

They turned towards to see Kotomine standing on the other side of the room, looking at the two. He projected his two swords as Rin had some gems in her hand as the two looked at him.

"Kirei, where is she? Where's Hakuno?"

"Oh, her? She's a bit busy if you understand what I mean."

He stepped to the side as they both saw her. Hakuno laid on the ground in the center of a ritual circle. The thing that got them a bit worried was that, all over her body, lines black and red went along her entire body as she looked a bit in pain. An orb of light floated above her as he could only guess that was the Grail taking form.

Kirei smiled as he looked back at them.

"Soon, the Grail will be complete."

They had to hurry then. Shirou turned to Rin and gave her a nod as Rin took one of the gems and tossed it into the air as it exploded into light. Kirei was not expecting it as he shielded his eyes. Once the light dimmed, he charged at Kirei. 

He wanted to believe that they could take down Kirei, but barely dodging a few of Kirei's strikes made it clear one good one would be enough to take him down. Luckily, his focus was on him, and it left him open for a few shots Rin took at him. This allowed him to get a slash in before Kirei could back up.

Ready to charge at him again, the three of them were taken off guard by Hakuno's screaming in pain. He thought this was likely apart of the Grail ritual, but as he glanced back at Hakuno and seeing Kirei's expression told him, this wasn't normal. Hakuno had become engulfed in blue flames but, rather than burning her, the flames seem to have been consuming the substance that had been all over her. 

He heard Kirei mutter.

"That shouldn't be possible."

His shock was shoved to the side as he realized this would be the perfect moment to try and take down Kirei. With Kirei's back turn towards them, Shirou took his sword and tossed them towards Kirei. Kirei didn't have time to react as both flew in his back, but he didn't fall as he began to make his war towards Hakuno and the Grail. Rin, using the same magical stone she had used against Berserker to keep him in one place, did the same as Kirei fell to his knees, inches away from the altar where Hakuno laid.

Rin simply declared.

"Give up, Kirei. You lost."

"No...I did not plan and do everything I did for the past 10 years to fail."

He could tell Kirei was not going to give up. There was no point in trying to talk him out of this. Whatever happened to him had made him lose his mind. He projected a sword in his hand as he walked towards as he raised it. Kirei just smirked as he glanced at him.

"Go ahead, but killing me won't remove the danger she is in. Some mage will come and take her. Once this gets to Clocktower, she will have the attention of mages all over."

It didn't matter to him if that was the case. They would cross that bridge once they got that. In one strike, he drove his sword through Kirei's back and through his heart as Kirei fell to the floor. He didn't like having done what he did, but Hakuno meant more than his dreams. It wasn't worth being a Hero fo Justice if she died because of it. He could at least thank EMIYA for showing him that.

Not a few seconds after things went quiet, aside from the magical noises being made by the ritual, Arturia busted into the room.

"Rin, Shirou, you two okay?"

"Yeah, we're okay, but Kirei's already begun the ritual. I don't know what is going to happen-"

Before she could finish, the orb above Hakuno began to glow as the light engulfed the entire room. Before any of them could confirm what was happening, a voice was heard.

"Shirou Emiya. Arturia Pendragon. You have won the Holy Grail War. As the vessel of the Holy Grail, what is your wish?"

He immediately recognized the voice as he regains his vision only to see Hakuno standing. Her eyes were dull, and her voice sounded more mechanical as if something or someone was speaking through her. She also was dressed in a strange white ceremonial dress, something she wasn't wearing beforehand. 

Arturia was as confused as he was. Still, Hakuno, or the Grail using Hakuno's body, stood there and waited for them to answer. While they knew what they wanted, they still had several questions as to what had happened.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Hakuno's fight against Angra Mainyu and the conclusion to the Grail War.


	73. Chapter 73

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, folks, we have reached the end. The confrontation with Avenger and Hakuno and the conclusion of the Grail War.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter as we begin to draw the story to a close.

"Where's Shirou, Rin, and Sakura?"

Hakuno was more than aware something was off about all of this. She couldn't remember what happened. It was very much possible she was overthinking things and what Arturia said was true.

That was the conclusion her mind had come to, but something kept warning her that this wasn't real. She wasn't sure what, but something about all fo this felt wrong. Everything around her was giving her the same feeling she got whenever she saw Gilgamesh.

If this indeed was a fake world or an illusion, then maybe Morgan's playing all those tricks on her mind was beginning to pay off. Not that she would thank Morgan. She didn't make Hakuno see all those things to teach her how to tell an illusion from reality. 

Arturia, or whoever the person posing at Arturia was, smiled and ran her hand through her hair.

"Rin, Shirou, and Sakura all out in town. You've been asleep for a while, and they were not sure when you would wake up. I stayed by your side so they could go about their regular business."

She was silent at that response. She wasn't sure if that was true or not. Still, something kept bothering her about this place. The silence was clearly worrying about this 'Arturia.'

"Is something wrong, Hakuno?"

"Drop the act. You aren't Arturia."

"Of course I am, Hakuno."

No, she wasn't. Her being screamed at her mind not to fall for the act. She pulled out of Arturia's arms as she stood up and looked at her.

"Then why do you and this entire place feel exactly like Gilgamesh does?"

The being was silent for a moment only for them to began chuckling.

"I didn't think you would make the distinction. Figured you wouldn't be fooled but had to try."

Arturia's form began to change as a figure utterly devoid of any color stood in front of her. The only way she could tell where his face was his eyes as it stared at her. One thing was clear, though: this thing felt exactly like Gilgamesh. No, it was if this person was the source of the odd mana she felt from Gilgamesh. She was left confused.

"Who are you?"

"Oh, I'm a nobody, but if you have to call me anything, call me Avenger."

Avenger? Was he a servant? Rin never brought up a Servant class named Avenger. Still, she couldn't help but feel like she has seen the name Avenger reference somewhere. It took her a moment, but she remembered seeing the word listed under servants the Einzberns had summoned.

"You were summoned by the Einzberns, but it couldn't have been this war. Illya was their representative, and she had Berserker."

"In this war. I'm sure you know about the other wars. I mean, this is the 5th Holy Grail War. During one of the wars, I was summoned in the placement of the Berserker class by the Einzberns. They believed, with me, they could win the war. They thought they summoned a monster to wipe out the rest of the Masters but ended up with a servant not fit to fight such a thing. I died early on in the war and went into the Grail. However, I ended up sticking to the Grail like mud after the war. Because of me, the Grail was corrupted from that war forward."

That war forward? Her mind immediately flashed back to the night of the Fuyuki Fire. Pieces began coming together. She feeling she had felt that night and the feeling she got from Gilgamesh and Avenger. It all made sense now.

"Your the one responsible for the fire ten years ago."

"Yes and no. While it was my corruption that had caused the fire, I was not the one to set it off. This may come as a surprise, but Arturia and Kiritsugu Emiya were the ones who allowed the fire to happen when they destroyed the vessel that contained me. The very thing that resides in you right now."

"The Grail!?"

"Bingo. Soon, the last Servant will be dead, and the Grail will form. Any wish will end up being something twisted and evil."

Then she needed to remove him from the Grail. Avenger just smirked.

"Shouldn't be too long now, the contract between Rin and EMIYA is severed, meaning it won't be too long till EMIYA returns to the Grail, and this war concludes."

She wasn't sure what she thought as she did what she did next. As Avenger was busy gloating, she went over and grabbed him by the wrist. Avenger looked at her, a bit disappointed.

"Really? You think grabbing my wrist is going to be enough to stop me? I created this illusion. I can leave whenever I want. Allow me to show you."

She didn't have any reason to doubt he could leave. There was no point in doing what she was, but she didn't let go. After a few moments of nothing, Avenger started looking confused. 

"Why can't I leave?"

His gaze turned directly to her.

"What did you do?!"

She wasn't sure. Her mind had gone completely autopilot. If Avenger was stuck in her, then all she had to do was purge him from her body. The issue was, her magic circuits would likely not work. Morgan had claimed her magic came from a curse. She doubted a curse could get rid of something like Avenger. But that wasn't the only source of mana she had.

Avenger had claimed that the Grail was inside her. It was likely how he had come into contact with her. If that was the case and if he was no longer in the Grail, then the Grail should be pure mana. She felt mana beginning to be sucked into her as she focused on a single goal: killing Avenger once and for all. The illusion began to be engulfed in blue flames as the spot where she was gripping Avenger's wrist became heated as well. Avenger was clearly feeling this and panicking.

"Ow ow ow! Are you nuts!? You'll burn us both!"

Maybe she would, but she had no grips with dying. Avenger had caused so much death ten years ago. The fire was his fault, despite his claims that Arturia and Kiritsugu were to blame. Arturia likely didn't know that would have happened and only sought to destroy the Grail before something terrible could happen. This was all his fault, and she was not going to let him hurt anyone else. The flames grew stronger as they both became engulfed in the fire. 

The pain was terrible. She barely was able to maintain her conscious or subconscious through it. She wasn't sure if she was hurting her physical body or not. If she was, then it was a price she will gladly pay if it meant destroying Avenger. 

If Avenger was saying anything, she couldn't hear him. Within a few more moments, her grip around Avenger's wrist became empty as Avenger was burnt to ash. The fire blinded her as she felt herself drifting into unconsciousness. She wasn't sure if she was dead or alive, but she was sure of one thing; Avenger was gone, and Rin, Shirou, Arturia, and Sakura were safe. 

 

Arturia was still trying to wrap her head around what had happened. She was expecting Hakuno to be asleep with the ritual not started yet or Rin and Shirou on the brink of defeat. She did not expect to end up seeing Hakuno become the Grail vessel. 

Hakuno, or rather the Grail using Hakuo's body, floated in front of the 3 of them. Shirou was clearly confused about something.

"What happened with Hakuno? What was that black and red stuff on her?"

"You need not worry about that. The corrupt being that infected the Grail no longer lingers. The one called Hakuno Kishinami absorbed him from the Grail and used the mana gathered by the Grail to purge his existence. However, this has left an issue."

She felt her spine go cold. The Grail was the only way they could deal with Morgan, like Alexandra said. If the Grail couldn't grant wishes anymore, Hakuno would have to deal with Morgan forever.

"What do you mean?"

"Hakuno took a large amount of mana to deal with Avenger. While this is something we are glad for, this does leave only enough mana for one of your wishes to be granted. The Master or the Servant's wish will be granted, but not both." 

She could see the relief on Shirou and Rin's faces. This was good. They could still pull it off. The two of them looked towards her as she understood what they wanted. She was the one to ask for the wish.

"Holy Grail, hear my wish. Form a seal on Morgan Le Fay, who resides in Hakuno's body using my Magic Resistance and Hakuno's mana to ensure she never breaks free."

The Grail went silent as it processed the wish. After a few moments, it looked back at her.

"To ensure the parameters of the wish is clear: Morgan Le Fay's conscious will be sealed in the back of Hakuno Kishinami's mind, preventing her from interfering with Hakuno. This seal will be maintained through your natural Magic Resistance and Hakuno's mana repairing any damage. The connection for this to happen will be formed using a contract similar to the ones used during the Grail War, and if this contract was to be dissolved or completely, the seal will cease to be. Are these conditions acceptable?"

"Morgan's conscious? I thought Morgan was summoned into Hakuno."

"Morgan Le Fay's body still resides in Avalon. Her conscious was pulled into Hakuno Kishnami's body during a ritual performed on her 14 years ago."

Well, that was good to know. Morgan herself wasn't in Hakuno, only her conscious. She looked back at the Grail.

"Those conditions are acceptable."

"Very well. With your wish, Arturia Pendragon, this Holy Grail War is concluded."

Arturia felt odd for a moment as her connection with Shirou faded only for her to feel a new connection with Hakuno. Hakuno's eyes closed as her clothing went back to normal, and the glow around the room faded. As Hakuno fell to the ground, she quickly caught her. She could only guess that the wish had worked. She looked around for what she could only guess was commands seals, but they were not on either one of Hakuno's hands. While not seeing them was worrying, she could feel her connection to Hakuno via the contract and command seals, which meant they were there.

Rin sighed a bit of relief.

"So, I guess that's it then, huh. Arturia, you feel like you're going to fade?"

"No, Hakuno is supplying me with mana now. In fact, I feel much better than I have ever been since I've been summoned. No offense, Shirou."

Shirou just chuckled at the implication. She could tell he has accepted he wasn't great as a mage, so her saying such things didn't bother him. Rin began to turn back.

"Well, we should probably deal with Kirei and..."

"And what?"

"That's odd. Kirei's body was here a moment ago."

Shirou looked a bit worried.

"Did he fake himself dying and escaped?"

"No, there would have been a blood trail. Plus, you got Kirei through the center of his chest. There was no way you didn't pierce or slashed his heart. The Grail must have dealt with him for us using whatever mana was leftover from the wish."

She hoped that was the case. She did not want Kirei coming back and hurting Hakuno. She turned towards Rin and Shirou as the morning sun began to shine into the Church.

"Let's head back to your place Shirou. I'm sure Sakura is worried about us."

Rin and Shirou didn't disagree. With her carrying Hakuno, the three of them began walking back home. While the war was over, there was one last thing they needed to do before she could honestly say everything was finished. They needed to have a talk with Hakuno once she woke up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter: Epilogue.


	74. Chapter 74

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While this chapter is the epilogue, this won't be the final chapter. Details will be at the end of the chapter.
> 
> Before the end of this story, however, I do want to thank everyone who has read this story and kept reading it and shown support. I will like to thank BloodRiver and Val1314151611 for their help in the making of this story. This story has been 6 months in the making but the continued support has kept me going to finishing this story.
> 
> With that said, enjoy the conclusion of our story.

The first thing Hakuno felt as she slowly began to come to was how stiff she felt. She wasn't sure how long she had been unconscious. It was tough for her to stir awake and resist not falling back to sleep. Somehow, she managed to get her eyes to stay open as long enough to see a familiar blue figure look at her before smiling in relief.

"You're finally awake."

She wasn't sure what to say to Arturia. Her immediate fear was that this was another illusion, but it didn't feel fake. She did not sense the odd mana, so that was probably good. Before she could think more about the subject, Arturia called out.

"Shirou, Rin, Sakura, she's awake."

It was only a few moments before the door open, and she suddenly found herself being hugged by Rin, Shirou, and Sakura. Any doubts about this not being real was thrown away. There was no way Avenger would be able to do something this convincing with his personality. Rin was the first one to let go and look at her a bit frustrated.

"Seriously, Hakuno, you need to stop running off without telling us anything."

"Rin, I ran off to protect all of you."

Rin went to try and say something, but she cut herself off and sighed, looking at her.

"EMIYA told us what Morgan told you. What is this about some family curse and Fury?"

Figured EMIYA would have told them about what happened. Guess there was no other way but to explain to them why she was dangerous and had to be away from them. She looked at them all as she began to explain.

"Morgan told me about a curse she inherited from her and Arturia's father. It's an ancient curse that acts as the source of her magic. The way Morgan described how the curse works is that the firstborn of the current holder of the curse receives a fragment of the curse. Once the current holder dies, the curse uses the fragment to move onto the next holder."

Everyone looked a bit shocked by this as Arturia looked as though things were making sense.

"That was why Agravain, Gawain, Gareth, Gaheris, and Mordred never showed any capacity for magic despite their lineage. Alexandra was the one to take the curse fragment."

"Of course, the current curse holder has to die before the curse can find the fragment and reform itself. The thing was, Morgan never died."

The room went quiet as they all looked confused at what Hakuno was saying.

"Morgan disappeared after Camelot fell, but she never died. She went to Avalon, and that is where she still is. At least, her physical body remains there."

"The Grail mentioned that only Morgan's conscious was in your head."

"The Grail?"

Arturia patted her head, trying not to get off-topic.

"We'll explain after you finish."

"Right, well, Morgan told me the same. Whenever my parents implanted her magic circuits into me, the curse sensed it and pulls Morgan's conscious into me. It seemed as though it was more of an accident than Morgan using the chance to try and appear in the world again. Of course, the fragment kept on being passed down though, after a while, the fragment became something else."

"Something else?"

"Apparently, my ancestor who wrote Arturia's legend had something happened to her. A rival mage family attacked and got a lot of the family hurt. It ended up triggering something of a hunt mode where they hunted down and wiped the mage family that attacked them. It would end up being called the Kishinami Fury by mages after the incident. Morgan said, while it was an incomplete version, that was what happened when I attacked you at the Church Rin. I don't think she was wrong. That's why I can't stay here. If I do, I might end up hurting you guys."

She expected them to be silent or upset at the fact she almost got Rin hurt. While things were quiet initially, Rin broke the silence as she started to laugh.

"That's it? That's why you decided to up and leave and wanted us to forget we met you? I thought it was something worse."

"W-what are you talking about? I could go off because of anything and lose control of some innate desire to kill whoever caused me to go off."

Rin gently poked her head.

"Hakuno, may I remind you that you only went like that once and it was not only when we had kept essential things from you, but Morgan had a hand in it, you were captured by Caster, and, overall, you were probably stressed out beyond belief considering this was also within the same day as Rider dying, me being stupid and insulting Rider, and you and Sakura encountering Gilgamesh. The fact that this 'Kishinami Fury' went off after all of that, and it was still an incomplete version, just shows that it only happens in very dire or stressful moments. You really are underestimating how much you can take before going off. Plus, it's not like Morgan or any other servants are going to be able to push you towards that moment again."

Arturia looked a bit stern with Rin.

"Rin, we can tell her later."

This again got Hakuno confused. She figured she needed to at least ask.

"If I am here, then, does that mean Morgan is gone, or did something happen with the Grail?"

Arturia finally decided to move close, sitting next to her and smiled.

"Yes, she's sealed away like Alexandra had instructed me to do so. The Grail bound us to a contract similar to ones in the Grail War, but we haven't been able to find it. It wasn't on the back of your hands."

"Then where is it?"

As she asked about the location, she felt a slight burning sensation coming from her left eye, it was a bit painful but nothing excruciating. She closed the eye, waiting for it to stop as the others looked a bit concern, but she smiled.

"Sorry, my eye is burning a little. Maybe it's having trouble getting readjusted to the light after being out for so long."

It didn't take long for it to stop as she reopened it, and everything seemed alright.

"See? Nothing to worry about. I still have perfect sight."

She wasn't sure what, but everyone seemed to ignore what she said as they were all staring at her. 

"What? I can see through both eyes guys I'm ok. Seriously, this is a weird thing to worry about after everything I been through."

They didn't stop staring at her despite her reassurance. Rin looked at Shirou.

"C-could you go get a mirror or something so Hakuno can see it?"

Shirou just nodded as she got up and left, leaving Hakuno still question what they are talking about.

"Guys, for the last time. I'm fine."

Arturia finally snapped from her blank stared and looked a bit apologetic.

"Sorry, it's not that we don't trust you, Hakuno. We just...we may have figured out where those command seals the Grail created for our contract went."

Hakuno wasn't sure how this related to her eye. At least, not at the moment. Shirou came back with a hand mirror as he looked at Rin before looking at Hakuno.

"Here, you'll see for yourself."

She took the hand mirror from him as he turned to look into it. She quickly understood what they had been staring at and what had caused the sudden burn feeling in her eye. 

On her left eye, a lion head with wings going from both sides of it had appeared. Hakuno figured it must have been the command seals for Arturia but, rather than being red like Rin and Shirou's command seals were, they glowed blue instead. She wasn't sure what to say other than the obvious.

"Well, at least we know where they are at."

They all just nodded, taking a few minutes to shake off the initial shock before they got back onto the topic. Rin bringing up something Morgan had also said.

"Still, wiping out an entire Mage family would be something the Mage Association would have taken notice of."

"Morgan said the same thing. My family apparently made allies with a powerful mage family. My only guess it has to do with the lady my mom had been talking to."

Rin thought for a moment on the topic.

"Did your mom say a name?"

It took her a moment to remember the vision she the night before all of this began. It also reminded her about what Avenger had said about the fire ten years ago and how she should talk to him about when she got the chance.

"I remember my mother calling the person Lorelei. They sound like close friends from what I could tell."

"Wait wait wait wait wait! Did you say Lorelei?! As in Lorelei Barthomeloi?!"

"I'm not sure about the last name, but I'm sure about the first. Why is that bad?"

Rin was just dead silent as she got up.

"I umm...need a minute to let that sink in. You and Shirou talk about whatever."

Rin grabbed Sakura's hand and left the room, leaving her a bit confused but was a bit glad since she could talk to Shirou about not only the fire but about EMIYA. However, Shirou seemed to have had the same idea.

"Hakuno, EMIYA told us you knew about him. That you knew he was me from another world."

She just nodded. She wasn't sure what to say to the whole situation. 

"I don't want to take your dream away from you, Shirou. If you don't want me to be around you, that's fine."

"No, it's alright. After hearing what happened from EMIYA, my whole dream is self-defeating. What's the point of saving everyone if it means endangering the people I care about. Besides, I was more so doing it for someone else than myself."

"That's good to hear. Maybe you could try opening a restaurant or something. I am a bit curious about how you do it seeing as Arturia prefers your food over mine." 

Shirou just laughed, and she ended up laughing too. Whatever thoughts she had about telling Shirou about the fire and what happened ten years ago went to the back of her mind. She didn't want to ruin the moment. Not too long after they got done laughing, Rin and Sakura reentered the room.

"Sorry, needed to take that all in."

She was still a bit confused as to who Lorelei was. Rin seemed to know who she was.

"Who's Lorelei? Is she a big deal?"

"Oh, more than just a big deal. Lorelei is the vice director of Clock Tower, and her family is one of the prominent families of it. The fact that your family has connections with them for that long is a big deal."

"That's good to hear. Back to the topic of the Kishinami Fury, it weakened over the generations, but when Morgan's magic circuits got implanted into me, it caused the fragment and the Fury to regain strength. Still, if your right Rin then maybe I'm not as dangerous as Morgan made me out to me."

"She probably did so to try and sway you over. Even if you are, we're your friends Hakuno and nothing is going to change that. So, enough running away without telling us the situation first, ok?"

She couldn't help but smile and feel like a fool for being so thoughtless. Rin, Sakura, Shirou, and Arturia were all here for her. Morgan may be rights on certain things, but they didn't care. She just nodded as Rin just smiled.

"Good. I think that takes care of everything. We should probably get you something to eat, considering it's been almost 2 days since the war ended, and you haven't gotten to eat with being out cold."

Sakura stepped in and put a hand on both Shirou and Rin's shoulders. 

"Actually, there is one last thing you two should discuss with Hakuno. Arturia and I will go get dinner started while you three discuss it."

It took Arturia a moment to realize whatever Sakura was talking about as she got up and cleared her throat.

"Sakura is right. Now that the war is over and Hakuno is not going to be running off somewhere, I think now is a perfect time for you three to discuss feelings."

She was still a bit confused, but Rin and Shirou clearly understood what they meant as they got a bit embarrassed, for some reason. Sakura and Arturia left the room, closing the door behind them as the three of them were left there. She was a bit curious as to what exactly this was all about.

"What exactly are they talking about?"

Shirou and Rin looked at each other before looking back at her with Rin still a bit embarrassed.

"Well, it has to do with Rider and what she did."

"I thought I told you Sakura explained to me what happened."

"Yes, but it's why we reacted the way we did that Sakura didn't know at the time."

That was something she had thought about. Why were Shirou and Rin as mad as Arturia when she hadn't been upset with what Rider did. Though after everything that had happened, she had an idea about where this was going.

"Well...the truth is we both like you."

"Rin, I don't think you could have made a more obvious statement than that."

Before Rin could retort, Shirou stepped in to help clear up what Rin was trying to say.

"She means we both like you in the same sense that Rider did."

It took her a moment to fully understand what they were trying to say. Once she did, she felt her face heat up as she looked at them. Before she could get a word out, Rin cut her off.

"It wasn't till Sakura brought it up to us that we both realized we were in love with you. This was all while you were captured by Caster. Shirou wanted to allow me to be with you considering what he just learned, but we agree we should let you choose."

Choose? They were letting her decide who she loved more? Maybe it would be easy for ordinary people to do so, but it seemed impossible for her. She knew Shirou longer, but Rin had been there to help comfort her. She liked them both the same. It was probably a stupid thing to ask, but hopefully, they would understand her asking since she was still learning about relationships.

"Why can't I be with both of you?"

The room went silent for a few moments before the two both spoke at once.

"Huh?"

"Eh!?"

"I like you both equally, so choosing one for the other is honestly hard for me to do. There isn't an issue with me being with both of you, right?"

The two just looked at each other before looking back at her. She honestly felt like she had said the wrong thing and was going to get a lecture from Rin. The two got close, and she was expecting something terrible until she felt their lips kiss her cheeks before looking at her.

"You know, that might not be a bad idea. I have no issues with that if you don't, Rin."

"I mean, we might get some weird looks, but we'll figure it out. I was more afraid that Hakuno would end up choosing you. She did before."

She knew Rin was talking about her other-self. The one that fell in love with EMIYA. Still, they weren't saying no to her idea, as weird as it may be. Before she could say anything else, her stomach started growling as the two looked at her with Shirou smiling.

"We should go tell Arturia and Sakura about your decision. Though, I do wonder what we're going to do about your house."

She was a bit confused as Shirou went on.

"Well, Rin is making plans on moving in. Considering everything that has happened and how things were at your old home, I thought maybe you should move in as well. I don't like the idea of you being alone."

It wasn't a bad idea. Sure, Hakuno had spent almost her entire life in that place, but all it held was terrible memories and, in a way, acted as a cage if Morgan was to be believed. She no longer needed to be kept away in secret or to protect others. She had people she could trust to keep her safe. 

"I think that would be a good idea. Though, where would I put all the relics my family has."

Rin just smiled.

"We'll figure something out. Now come on." 

They both got up and waited for Hakuno to join them. It took Hakuno a moment as her legs were still feeling stiff from being asleep for 2 days straight. Once they were starting to feel normal, she managed to get up as they both took one of her hands as the three of them walked to go eat dinner. 

With the war over, Morgan sealed away, and the people she cared about safe, she felt happy. She had been through a lot over the past week, but the lonely feeling lingering within her was gone. Hakuno was no longer alone. 

She had someone she could look up to as a mother. People she loved and who loved her back. A person she was beginning to view as an older sister of sorts. In a way, she finally had a family again. Despite everything that had happened, she wouldn't change anything. She would not trade her choice in getting involved with the Holy Grail War for anything else. The way she saw it, they had a bright future ahead of her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, our story ends. At least for the perspective of our heroes. There is one last chapter but it will be focused on setting up Part 2 as well as other things for future parts. This is without question the longest chapter this story has seen with it being 1 word off from being 3000 words long. 
> 
> So,
> 
> Next and Final Chapter: What comes next?


	75. Chapter 75

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider this chapter as the post-credit scene of a superhero movie for this part. These things will come into play in future parts.
> 
> With that said, enjoy the last chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> 10/28/19
> 
> Updated a line for set up in the next story. That one will be out soon.

It had been about a week since the end of the 5th Holy Grail War. It'd had been a swift war compare to previous ones. Nothing much had happened at first, but once the first servant fell, all but the Saber servant fell day by day. However, it wasn't how quickly the war had been or any other topics that had happened during the war. The talk amongst Clock Tower was the rumor of someone with more value than the Grail itself been involved with the war, a mage with access to True Magic.

While the topic of whether this person existed was the topic of many discussions and debates, many mages were dismissive of the idea as someone like that would have been known. To Lorelei Barthomeloi, she knew the truth behind this rumor. The fact was it was no rumor at all, and she knew who the possible mage was. The daughter of the closest friend she ever had, Hakuno Kishinami.

Hakuno's existence had been kept a close secret. Very few knew about her, and the few who did had sworn an oath of secrecy. While she could simply ignore things and hope the rumors dissipates, she knew too well something like this would be investigated by people, one way or another. 

She had not seen Hakuno since her mother's death and even then she never told Hakuno her name or her relations to her mother. Regardless of that, she was going to have to pay her a visit. She had already begun preparations for a trip for Fyuki City. She was going through somethings only to be interrupted by a knock on her door. 

"Come in."

The door to her office open as two people walked into her office. One being a tall man with a black suit and a red scarf around hanging around his neck. The other was his apprentice, a girl with a hood covering her face. 

"Ahh, good. I was beginning to wonder if you got my message."

The man looked at her a bit curious as to the reasoning for summoning them. 

"Was there something you need, Lady Lorelei?"

"I intend to take a trip to Fuyuki and thought you would be interested in coming along, Lord El-Melloi II. Plus, there is someone I believe your apprentice would be interested in meeting."

The apprentice looked a bit curious, but it would be better not to say it here. 

"We won't be staying long, just enough for me to see someone of importance."

The two looked at each other and nodded before they left. Depending on what Hakuno chooses, it would be best to keep her existence a secret until she makes a decision, which would be the purpose of this trip. 

 

Morgan would say things had not worked out as she would have liked. She hadn't considered Gilgamesh, the Priest, and Lancer were working together. It was an error on her part but not one she would ever admit out loud. 

Now she found herself sealed away once again. She had already made an attempt to break the seal, but it would be impossible to do. The resistance given by Arturia made anything she could do barely damage the seal, and Hakuno's mana repaired any damages faster than she could break it.

Still, this was better than the alternative. That being that Avenger that tried to corrupt Hakuno's body being around, though, she did find it funny that he thought Hakuno had pulled him in completely. She was the one to do so, and the reason for it was for one thing.

She held out her hand as a small ball of black, and red mud appeared. The remnant corruption she managed to save from Hakuno destroying Angra. She had already tried using it to deal with the seal on her, but it was ineffective. With Angra, it was weak and could barely do anything compared to all the mud that had caused the city to burn ten years ago.

So, she was left to begin scheming once again. Arturia and the others might think they won, but they are sorely mistaken. Arturia would end up returning to the throne sooner or later. Once she did, the seal would no longer keep her back from taking what was her. When she was freed, Hakuno will find that she was no longer going to be playing the patient mother as she had been. If Hakuno refused to listen to what was best for her, then she'll force Hakuno to obey her, and she figured the mud could help her in some way.

"Enjoy your life while you can, Hakuno. Either they will treat you kindly or break your heart. I tried to warn you, but you were too stuborn. It's a bit disappointing, but I guess I have no choice but to use force the next time I'm free."

She will win this fight against Arturia and Alexandra one way or another. Hakuno had her chance at being a good girl and obeying her mother but, like Gawain and Mordred, had a rebellious streak. She wouldn't be making the same mistake she did with Mordred and Gawain.

 

It had been a dull day in Chaldea for Romani. It was the same as it has been. Not that it was a bad thing, something interesting would be nice.

He found himself alone in his office. It was beginning to get late, yet he still had some papers to fill out. He guesses he was going to be up late finishing all of it. Though, something caught his attention as he began to get back to work. The digital clock on his desk hadn't changed in the past few minutes. He tapped it a few times, hoping it was just an error, but it didn't change.

He sighed as he was about to complain about his bad luck, but a voice from behind him cut him off.

"I apologies for the sudden intrusion."

He turned to see a clocked figured standing behind him. The figure didn't look like anyone from Chaldea. Still, something about them told him they weren't human.

"You don't look like someone from around here."

"I need to speak to you."

"I'm not the Director so whatever your problem is I'm not sure-"

"Time is frozen, and I am not a regular person. You can drop the act, King Solomon."

That name alone caused him to stop. No one, except a select few, should know about his real identity. This figured not only knew his real name but was powerful enough to create a space for them to talk to without time passing. He just looked at her.

"You must have done your research. Though, I do wonder what you could possibly need from me. Before we go any further, perhaps a name would help, if you are willing to give it."

The figure did more than give him her name. She lowered her hood as he saw her face completely. She had long brown hair, green eyes, and plainish looking face. She just looked at him as she gave him her name.

"I am Alexandra Le Fay. It's an honor to meet you, King of Mages."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And with that, the story has concluded.
> 
> As to when to expect Part 2, probably not for a few months. I do want to work on other stories so it's likely Part 2 won't begin till early next year. My plans for my works is to finish up the Flower of the Underworld story, at least the Shinjuku portion, and then likely my To Never Know Peace story up till the end of Orleans. As from there, I will have to decide. 
> 
> With that said, thanks for reading and hope you enjoyed the story.


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